Never
by Kyuni15
Summary: When Rinoa leaves Squall, he is left heartbroken and vows to never fall in love again. But he never thought he'd end up falling in love again, and with an annoying transfer student this time around. Squall/OC
1. Chapter 1

_a/n: this is my first ever ff8 fic, I've been playing the game for the umpteenth time, and dissidia just recently and I thought, I've been a fan of Squall for 11 years now so why not make a fic? So yeah here it is! To the Squinoa fans out there, this is not for you. May contain Rinoa bashing, so don't say I didn't warn you!_

_I wont be going in to detail with the "after Ultimecia clichés" that I've read in a lot of ff8 fics. So yeah for the record, Seifer turned good, Quistis became an instructor again, Irvine transferred to Balamb and is now dating Selphie. And Zell is dating the library girl, and Squall is on good terms with Laguna. It saves a lot of time explaining the small things. Here goes… Hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: The Characters depicted in this story belongs solely to Square Enix! I'm just borrowing them!_

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**Chapter 1: 2 years later...**

If he was asked to describe his daily life, he would only answer one word. It was endless. Oh and maybe pointless, meaningless, and some other word running along those lines. This routine life of his was becoming a seemingly endless cycle. He would wake up in the wee hours of the morning, slay grats, bite bugs and whatnot in the training center, grab something to eat in the cafeteria, Take a shower, then sit and sign papers in his office until the evening, then he would crash on his bed. His daily life had been boring, to say the least, and this had been going on for as long as he can remember. Fortunately for him, he only had to endure it for one more week. Classes would be starting then, and its back to school for him.

The Garden Association had imposed a new policy in all Gardens. To improve competency and skills of the SeeDs graduating from the academy, advanced courses will be provided to SeeDs who are under the age of 25. These courses would take at least 2 years to complete. These courses would not only better hone their fighting skills but they will also be a great help to the SeeDs should they be incapacitated or should they wish to pursue another career in the future. They would have fall backs, some of the courses would help them get normal jobs. So when he was informed of this new policy by the headmaster himself, he felt slightly relieved. The headmaster had promised him that his work, as the SeeD commander would be less, that would allow him to attend his classes. Although he did feel sorry for Xu, his secretary who would be handling most of his job (since she's already 26), he felt ecstatic to be studying again. Squall Leonhart Loire, 19 years old, SeeD commander, and of course together with the rest of his friends, would once again experience what its like to be a student.

When he woke up that Sunday, his day off, he could tell that it was just not his day. He woke up late, and by late, 2 hours late. This had never happened to him before in his daily routine. When he quickly got out of bed to take a shower, he ran over a pile of clothes (his) and slipped, and landed on his rear quite painfully. This had never happened to him before. When he got out of the shower, he couldn't find any more washed and ironed clothes, so he had no choice but to wear his unwashed white shirt and wrinkly jeans from two days back. When he went out to get something to eat, He fell in line for at least 10 minutes in the cafeteria, when he realized that he forgot to bring his wallet. He went back to his room and took his wallet, and when he opened it, there wasn't any cash. He had bought something yesterday and when he was about to withdraw cash from the ATM to replenish his funds, it had broken down and was now currently under repairs. Then he remembered that Zell owed him money, so he went to his room a few halls away from his. He knocked three times but there was no answer. He took out his mobile phone and dialed Zell's number. When Zell answered, he had told him that he had left early for a mission. He quickly hang up, and cursed silently. He would have to borrow money from someone else. Quistis left yesterday and was in Galbadia for a month long conference for SeeD instructors, Selphie was in Trabia for vacation, and Irvine went with her. He had no other choice but to seek out his least favorite friend.

Seifer Almasy was readmitted to the Garden over a year ago, turns out, the sorceress had manipulated and brain washed him to do her evil deeds, The Headmaster Cid and his wife Matron instantly took him back. And so he did went back and after a couple of months of tutoring from Quistis, he had passed the written SeeD exam and he would be taking the practical exams soon. He was well on his way of becoming a SeeD. With no passé behind him, Quistis had forcefully let him in the group since they all grew up together anyway, and so they were now all friends. Of course, there was still his occasional teasing of Zell, and his rivalry with Squall, but nonetheless, he was now one of them.

"What?" Seifer was quite surprised to see Squall standing on his doorway. "Squall? Now that's a surprise. What do you want?" he asked.

"Can I borrow money?" he spoke quite fast that it was barely audible.

"What was that?" he asked again, smirking as he did so.

It was difficult for him to say it the first time and yet Seifer was telling him to say it again? If only he wasn't in dire need, he would have probably punched him. "I said, Can I borrow money?"

"I heard you the first time, man. I'm just playing with you. But who would've thought you of all people would run out of money?"

Of course, it was very unlikely. This was the first time Squall had run out of money. He was earning thousands, from being a SeeD, and on top of that, he had a wealthy president for a father who insisted on sending him money every month. It was quite a surprise, even for him, that he had run out of money.

"I guess I wasn't paying attention to my spending. So can I have it?"

"How much do you need? You're lucky I just got paid for that mission yesterday."

"10,000 Gil."

"10,000?! That's a third of my Salary!"

"The ATM will be inoperable for three days. I have to feed myself after all."

"Yeah but 10,000 Gil for just three days?"

"Just give me the damn money."

"You'll have to pay me back after three days, plus 6,000 Gil." Seifer said.

"Are you kidding? That's 20% interest!" Squall argued.

"That's fast math! Do you still want that money?"

What other choice did he have? "Fine." he answered. Seifer grinned as he handed the cash to him. Squall counted it to make sure.

Seifer held out his hand. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Commander."

"Whatever." he quickly left before Seifer could say more. He made his way back to the cafeteria, the line was just as long as it was a few minutes earlier, He felt so hungry that he wanted to use his authority as Commander to cut into the line, but he had to be role model after all. After a couple of minutes, he was finally able to buy food for himself, and was able to eat. He thought his day had turned from worst to better, but he was wrong. After he was done eating, he stood up, but had failed to notice that someone was running carrying a food tray, and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor, with water and bits of food on his shirt. The entire Cafeteria had went silent. He felt someone help him up, It was a female SeeD whose name he forgot.

"Are you all right?" the female SeeD had asked him. Squall nodded. Great, just great. The fool who was carrying the tray had to eat a hotdog, and not just a hotdog, three hotdogs. His shirt was stained with ketchup and mustard and his hair was dripping wet from the uncapped water bottle that she was carrying. He was about to lose it, when he remembered that the cafeteria was full of people. If he would explode with rage here, the headmaster would surely find out and would reprimand him.

"You better watch where you're going!" the female SeeD snapped at the person carrying the tray, who had also fallen to the floor. She hoisted herself up, and glared at the female SeeD.

"Watch where I'm going?! He was the one who bumped into me! He should watch where he's going!" The person carrying the tray turned out to be female. She had long wavy blond hair, fair skin, and was wearing casual clothes. A black shirt and a pair of jeans. Squall had never seen her around the Garden before. Must be a new student, there were a lot of new faces aside from this girl here.

"How dare you! You should apologize to him!" said the female SeeD. The little scene was now the center of attention of the students currently having lunch in the cafeteria.

"He's the one who should be apologizing! He's the idiot who suddenly stood and bumped into me! There goes my lunch! You better pay up, mister!" argued the blond girl. She bent down on the floor and started gathering the remnants of her lunch.

"Article III, section 28 of the student manual, Running is forbidden in the Library, Infirmary, and the Cafeteria. Now shouldn't you be the one apologizing?" Squall said. He couldn't snap at the girl but, at least he could publicly humiliate her.

"Article what? What are you, a lawyer? Don't be so full of yourself just because you're a little good-looking!"

"I could report this to the discipline committee, of course, but I'm willing to shut my mouth if you were to apologize." It's not like he cared about the apology, he just felt like venting his frustrations of his day on the poor girl.

"Hah! You wish!" the girl stuck out her tongue. Squall was about the pounce on the poor girl verbally, when a Discipline officer had arrived. Nice timing. At least he didn't have to personally deal with the girl.

"What's going on here?" the officer asked. "Oh, Sir." he greeted Squall.

"This girl was running in the Cafeteria. I'll leave her to you." Squall said as he quickly left the scene. The smell of ketchup and mustard was not very appealing to him. After that, Squall had decided to lock himself up on his room for the rest of the day. And so, to sum it all up, he had never slipped on something, he had never forgotten his wallet, he had never ran out of money, he had never been dumped with a tray of food, and he had never been snapped at like that by a student before, that is, until today. It was the worst day of his life. Not the worst, but it definitely made the top five.

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She had only been in this place for three days, all her stuff hadn't been unpacked yet, and already, she had been given detention worth 20 hours. An hour a day starting tomorrow, and that's including the weekends. Her dad was right, Balamb Garden was a terrible idea. Rikku Bennet, 17 years old, had transferred from Trabia Garden. She could've taken the SeeD exam in Trabia, but she didn't. It was a very well known fact in terms of producing competent SeeDs, Balamb would grab the first spot. She didn't want to be stuck at a runner-up Garden. Galbadia's pretty good too, but then those guys fancy war as much as the average person fancies cheese. Her roommate Hailey Auguste, with short black hair, and gothic, was a childhood friend of hers also from Trabia. She had transferred a year earlier, and had just recently become a SeeD. Although they were complete opposites, Rikku being bubbly, mischievous, and out-going, and Hailey being the silent, only speaks when spoken to type, they were the best of friends.

"Ugghh…" She landed with a thud on the bench. She had been hanging out at the Quad with Hailey when her Dad called. She had just gotten off the phone with her Dad, he had been informed of her detention. He had went on and on for a good half hour about being responsible and bringing her back home if she were to get detention again.

"It's gonna get better." Her roommate had told her.

"I guess…"

"But 20 hours worth of detention by just running in the cafeteria? That's too much. What else did the discipline officer say?" Hailey asked.

"Something about disrespecting a superior, or something like that. The hell did that mean?!"

"A superior? Who did you bump into anyway?"

"Your question should be, who bumped into me! I dunno. A guy with dark brown hair, I don't think he's a SeeD, he was just wearing a shirt and jeans. But he actually has the student manual memorized, so I'm guessing he's an instructor?" said Rikku.

"An instructor huh? If he was, that'd be pretty bad…."

"I'm gonna get back at that guy for humiliating me! But you know, he was pretty good-looking…" said Rikku.

"Yeah… Most good-looking guys are jerks…"

"He's gonna get it! The next time I see him, I oughta feed him to the Grats! And then I'll…" Rikku's sentence was cut short when she saw the object of her plans of torture, enter the Quad. "Hail! That's him! The jerk guy who I ran into!" Hailey glanced at the direction she was pointing and was quite surprised.

Squall had been cooped up in his office for 6 hours straight working his ass off, when Xu had suggested he take a walk and get some fresh air. Which led him to go straight to the Quad, because at this time of the day (afternoon), the Quad would be almost empty. He spotted the bench the one near the stage and the veranda, and the one he and the gang usually sit on, but turns out it was occupied by two girls. And one of them had wavy blond hair. The girl who dumped her lunch on him yesterday. He felt slightly annoyed that his favorite bench, was being sat on by the blond girl. Rather than be annoyed by the girl's presence, he had decided on going back to his office instead.

"Oi! You there!" the girl stood up and had shouted, she couldn't have been referring to someone else since the Quad was empty except for them. Squall stopped on his feet and turned to face her.

"Are you talking to me?" he asked, his face expressionless. (As always)

"Of course I'm talking to you! Do you see anybody else around? Are you stupid or what?!"

One of the things that Squall hated the most, even more than hearing Zell sing, was to be called stupid. The word just brought on that feeling again, one which he had been working very hard on the past couple of months to forget. But he had to be calm, take deep calm breaths and ignore the girl. He turned his back on the girl and walked away.

"Hey! I'm not done with you yet! Come back here!" Rikku was about to walk up to him, when Hailey had caught her arm.

"Rikku, I'm not sure that's a good idea…" said Hailey.

"Why not? I'll give him a piece of my mind!" It was because of him that she had to serve detention after all.

"That's Squall Leonhart…"

"Who?" she asked. The name seemed familiar to her, like she had heard it somewhere before.

"Squall Leonhart, he was one of the SeeDs who defeated the Sorceress two years ago. He's also the Commander!" And then she remembered, the discipline officer had been rambling about disrespecting a superior, and he even said something like, if it wasn't for him, we would be under the control of the sorceress. Great, Just great. There goes her dream of becoming a SeeD. Of all the people she could've bumped into, it had to be him…

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a/n: Liked it? Hated it? Please let me know by reviewing!


	2. Chapter 2: First Day

**Chapter 2: First Day**

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"Uh-huh… Yeah…. Okay… Tell sis I said hi…. Bye…" Squall had gotten off the phone with Laguna. It had become a routine in his daily life for the past 2 years. Laguna would check on him at least 4-5 times a week. When Laguna had first told him 2 years ago that he was his biological father, it didn't come as a surprise to him. What with Kiros and Ward giving subtle hints that he looked like his mother, and that they were glad he wasn't like his father, that gave it away. Laguna had apologized a million times to him, for not being with him all those years. Squall had forgiven him, he didn't know why. But in all honesty, he wasn't exactly glad that he grew up without a father, but it wasn't as if Laguna didn't want him, Laguna had explained that he did try looking for him when he went back to Winhill, but the villagers had told him that he was sent to an orphanage, and at that time, since it was just after the war, there were hundreds of orphanages and that was in Galbadia alone. Squall, despite of himself, forgave him for what happened, it couldn't be helped after all. Laguna had then insisted on spending time with him, Getting to know him, which he reluctantly agreed to. He had become accustomed to spending time with him whenever he was in Esthar, Laguna had even had his own room prepared at the Presidential Palace. Sure Laguna was childish, a bit irresponsible, and frankly speaking, a bit of an idiot, but he was still his father. He had come to terms with accepting him.

Today was the first day of classes, Squall put on his new uniform( since the old one didn't quite fit him anymore) , slung his bag over his shoulder, and placed his gun blade on his belt and headed for his class.

"Yo, Squall!" The gravity defying blond haired boy Zell called as he caught up to him while he was making his way to the elevator.

"Zell." he acknowledged.

"First day of classes huh? It actually surprised me that I didn't wake up late. Zukie lent me like, five alarm clocks just so I wouldn't be late for today. Pretty sweet of her huh?" Zell had been dating the library girl, whose name was Shizuka. She was a quiet, soft-spoken girl, which was perfect for Zell since he was quite the chatter.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday. Zellie boy, on time for his classes!" Seifer teased. Zell was known to be 90% late all the time. Seifer was also waiting for the elevator.

"Don't call me that!"

"But jeez, these classes are such a pain. We're SeeDs already, why do we have to study again?" said Seifer. The Pre-Ultimecia Seifer never bothered with the uniform , but he had changed, sure he was still arrogant, but those who know him are aware of the change in him. He was wearing the uniform, although it wasn't buttoned all the way up, but at least he was wearing it.

"Doing missions all the time would be such a bore you know…?" said a high-pitched energetic voice from behind them. A petite girl with shoulder length fly away brown hair had appeared from behind them. She was with a tall young man with long pony-tailed hair and wearing a cowboy hat.

"Selphie! Irvine! When did you guys get back?" asked Zell as he moved closer to the two.

"Just last night! Irvine wanted to stay longer but the new semester is starting today and that means… I'll have to recruit new Garden Festival Committee members! Yay!" squealed Selphie. It was just like her to be excited about the festival, which was still months away.

"We bought souvenirs for everyone. But I sorta forgot them in my room. I'll give them later! What's your first class anyway?" Irvine asked them.

"I haven't looked at my class sched yet, lemme check…" Zell pulled out his class schedule from his bag and his eyes widened in surprise. "Physical Education 101? What the heck?! Why do we have to take this kind of class?!"

"Oh hey! That's my first class too! And Irvy's in it as well!" Selphie sounded excited.

"I told you these classes were a pain!"

Seifer was caught off guard by Zell, who snatched his class schedule. "Biology 101? Something's wrong with the Garden Association. Making us learn all this normal school stuff…"

"Those guys are lame. Later…" Seifer took back his class schedule as he turned to leave.

"Seify? Where you goin'? asked Selphie

"Skipping, what does it look like?" he told her as if the answer was pretty obvious.

"Need I remind you, about the conditions of your readmission, Seifer?" Squall said. Seifer was taken aback.

"Yeah yeah." Seifer grunted as he went toward the other direction and headed for his Biology class.

"See you at lunch Seify! We should go too! Don't want to be late for the first class. How about you Squall? What's your first class?" asked Selphie He took it out from his bag and showed it to her.

"Advanced Summoning I? And after lunch is Weapons Mastery I. How come your classes are normal?" Zell leaned in closer to look at Squall's schedule.

"If you look more closely, those are my subjects for Mondays and Wednesdays only. I have other normal school subjects too." said Squall.

"Oh yeah… Too bad we only have one class together, Oh well, See you later Squall!" Zell and Irvine waved at Squall as they headed for the Basement where the new Gym was located. Squall then went towards the Training Center B for his first class.

Ever since they had defeated the sorceress two years ago, the Garden's population had doubled, it had become more popular than ever. Funds where coming in quite quickly. A lot of wealthy businessmen had invested in the Garden. The Headmaster had allocated these funds to add new facilities to the Garden. A second training center where classes are to be held, A Gym at the Basement, An Olympic Sized Pool near the Quad, more classrooms on the second floor, an Auditorium at the third floor, new and bigger student and SeeD dorms, a bigger cafeteria, and A SeeD headquarters located at the ground floor.

Training Center B, located just next to the old one, was twice the old one's size. The entire area was divided into two. One area contained the classrooms for the lectures, and the other area is the practice rooms where students could practice their magic, summoning, and their weapons. This training center also had monsters, but they were weaker compared to the ones at the old training center. Training Center A is only used by SeeDs, since more powerful monsters had been added just recently. When he had arrived at the second training center, all eyes had turned to him. A couple of SeeDs had saluted as the normal students casually greeted him. He sat at the far back of the room and patiently waited for the instructor. A couple of noisy girls were glancing at him and giggling and squealing in delight. Squall was pretty ticked off by them. Of course, he could opt to transfer classes, but then it'd be the same too. It would be the same everywhere. Girls would still be fawning all over him. He wished that it would be back to the old days, the time where girls feared coming near him, and they never bothered to stare. The time when he could glare at them and threaten them without being reprimanded. But sadly those days are gone… Was he really any different now, compared to what he was back then? Of course he was, he himself can affirm this fact. He had become more open to others, although he didn't mean for it to happen, it happened anyway and he was actually glad it did. He needed friends to support him and be with him. And they all proved to be such worthy friends. It was because of them that he had become more approachable, more human.

The instructor had then entered the room and the students settled in their seats. He was one of the prominent members of the Trepies, meaning, he was actually a friend of Quistis. He was a pretty decent instructor, but Seifer hated the guy, and quite frankly, Squall didn't like him much either. He was too much of a flirt. The instructor nodded politely at Squall, which he totally ignored.

"Good Morning everyone! My name is Lance Dawson and I'll be your Instructor for this subject until the end of the semester!" Lance Dawson had been a classmate of Quistis' before she had become a SeeD. He was a Rank B SeeD, he was quite popular in the Garden, but it was a known fact that he was an infamous playboy. The back door opened and a blonde girl silently slipped inside, too bad for her, the instructor had caught her doing so.

"Oh don't worry miss…" said the Instructor as the girl turned to him, slightly embarrassed. "I just got here, you're not late at all. Please take a seat." The girl then looked around for a vacant seat and found one at the far back. She sat down and settled her things on the desk. The only seat that was vacant turned out to be next to Squall Leonhart. Although girls practically worship the ground he walks on, they weren't brave enough to sit next to Squall. Guys didn't dare to sit next to him either, out of fear. The girl, as it appeared, was the same girl who ran into him at the cafeteria a few days ago. The girl hadn't noticed that she was sitting next to Squall since she was still fumbling with her stuff. Squall chose to ignore her, she would realize it soon anyway. When she turned to greet her seatmate, she instantly rose from her seat.

"Is there anything wrong?" The instructor asked. The rest of the class was looking at her.

"N-no Sir! I just saw a bug and it frightened the hell out of me…" She explained, sheepishly scratching the back of her head as she sat down.

"I hope you were not referring to me…" Squall said.

"What if I was?"

"It'd be interesting."

"Why…?" Of course it'd be interesting. Never has someone spoken to him like that, Scratch that, No one has ever spoken to him in classes before.

"Nothing."

"Oh and before we proceed with class, You'll be assigned a partner and he or she will be your practice partner for the rest of the semester, so to save us time, the person sitting next to you is your partner." The instructor said. Rikku Bennet cursed softly, Squall did too mentally. Just what he needed. A loud girl for a practice partner. Neat.

"Hailey… you think I should transfer back to Trabia?" Rikku asked her best friend. She caught up with her after lunch on her way to her next class. She had been telling her best friend about the disaster which was her first class.

"Classes just started. Things will work out, don't worry…" she assured her.

"I'm not done yet! After summoning classes, I went to my next class, which was supposed to be a Math subject, but it turns out that the class was already full so they had to transfer me to a different class!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"They transferred me to a completely different subject! Weapons Mastery!"

"Ohh… Weapons Mastery is not that hard, not yet anyway. I hear it gets brutal once you reach the second Mastery class though..."

"…and get this! When I entered the Weapons Mastery Class, guess who's in the same class? The commander for Hyne's sake! It's bad enough that I have a class with him, but to have two classes with that guy?! Damn it!"

"Have you tried asking if you could drop the subject?" Hailey asked.

"I did. But they told me that I won't be able to take the SeeD field exams if I didn't take the subject this semester! It's a new policy of the Garden…"

"Then you'll just have to endure it…" Hailey told her, patting her best friend's shoulder. Rikku sighed.

"I guess…" The bell signaling the end of lunch break started to ring. Hailey stood up.

"Hopefully your next class would be better than the last one…"

"I hope so too, for your sake. Because if it isn't you'd have to put up with my frustrations later…" Rikku told her as they both headed for class. Hailey headed for the training center for her next class while Rikku took the elevator to the 2nd floor hall, where her next class, World Literature, was to take place. She struggled through the crowded hallway and entered the room. Most of the students in the room were huddled into small groups, and so she, as a transfer student, decided to isolate herself and headed towards the back of the room where she saw a vacant seat. She took it and settled her things. A blonde spikey haired guy then took the seat next to her.

"Hi…" the boy greeted.

"Hello."

"Uhmm… Sorry but… could you transfer to the seat in front please? A friend asked me to save a seat at the far back of the room…" the blond told her. The nerve of this guy! Asking her to transfer seats when she had just settled in nicely. But to avoid anymore possible conflicts, and since the guy had asked nicely, she transferred to the seat in front. Shame though, that seat was next to the window and it had a great view.

"Thanks! You saved me. I was supposed to go to class earlier to save the seat, but I ran into my girlfriend and we got to talking." said the blond.

"No problem…" she said.

"I haven't seen you around… you new?" he asked.

"Yeah…I just transferred from Trabia."

"Trabia huh? Oh by the way, the name's Zell, Zell Dincht." Zell extended his hand to the girl as she shook it.

"Rikku Bennet…" she introduced herself. The guy sounded friendly enough. She was starting to feel more comfortable in this class. Hailey was right.

"Yo, Squall!" Zell suddenly called, waving at someone who just entered the room. Squall? Hadn't she heard that name before? And true enough, her suspicions came true when she saw Squall a.k.a Commander enter the classroom a tall blond man following behind him.

"Hyne Damn it!" she cursed mentally. Zell waved at Squall and gestured at the empty seat next to him.

"Hey Squall. Saved ya a seat, man!"

"Thanks." Squall took his seat, but not failing to notice the familiar blonde girl seated in front of him. Squall too, cursed mentally.

"You saved Squall a seat, but not me. What's up with that, Chicken wuss?" said Seifer, standing next to Zell's seat, his arms crossed.

"He asked you know… and don't call me that!"

"Yeah but you knew I was going with him to the Headmaster's office too, so you knew I was also going to be late!"

"Take the seat in front then, I was just talking to this girl, and she seems really nice… Hey Rikku…" Zell tapped Rikku's shoulder, not wanting to be rude, she turned to face the guys behind her.

"This is my friend Squall… and this is Seifer."

"Hey…" Seifer greeted. Squall ignored Zell's introduction. That was a nice move on his part, because if he said something about her, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from pouncing on him.

"She's new here. Be nice Seifer." said Zell.

"How rude! I'm always nice!" Seifer took the seat in front of Zell and Squall, next to Rikku. Upon closer inspection, Rikku noticed that the tall blond was quite good-looking, with his blond hair neatly combed and fixed with hair gel. He smelled good too. And the scar on his face looked good on him. Her gaze then trailed to what Seifer was wearing… Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that… a fire cross pendant?!" she asked him referring to his necklace, Seifer was taken aback by her sudden question.

"Yeah…" he answered.

"And that's the limited edition! I've been through every accessory store in Trabia to find one! How did you get it?" said Rikku.

"You have fine tastes! I have connections with the brand maker who lives in Balamb, I only bought this for a measly 16,000 Gil."

"What?! That's 40,000 Gil! What a discount!"

"So that's where you spent the money I gave you?" Squall suddenly said, interrupting the two.

"None of your business, Commander…" spat Seifer. Rikku liked the guy already, to have the nerve to speak to the commander like that, sure they were friends, but that was still something!

"Wait, you gave him money?" Zell asked.

"It's a long story…" said Squall.

"You have to help me get one! Please! I'll do anything! I'd even dump your trash for you!" Rikku pleaded. She had been wanting one for a long time now, she can't exactly afford it, but she'll definitely buy it no matter what!

"Dumping seems like a common thing for Trabians to do." said Squall, earning a murderous glare from Rikku.

"You're the girl who bumped into Squall in the cafeteria?" asked Zell.

"Bumped is an understatement."

"H-how did you know about that?" Rikku asked Zell.

"It's all over the Garden…"

"Shit…" she muttered under her breath. Great, now she was known as the girl who dumped her lunch on the commander. Excellent.

"You're that girl? Nice. I think were going to be really good friends." said Seifer, extending his hand to Rikku. She shook hands with him.

"Dumping aside, will you help me buy one?" she asked him again.

"Sure. I like girls who dump their lunch on the commander…" Seifer smirked, Rikku felt her cheeks flush. Hailey didn't have to put up with her later anymore, she met a really cool guy after all.

* * *

a/n: Wow! I didn't expect this! And here I was thinking about updating the story even without getting reviews, but people actually reviewed! Thank you! Oh and yeah, Rikku is patterned from the same Rikku of FFX/X_2 fame. She's my favorite female ff character of all time! That should have been Rikku in kingdom hearts, not Yuffie with Leon!


	3. Chapter 3: Work

**Chapter 3: Work**

**Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this story belongs to Square Enix. PSP (Playstation Portable) belongs to Sony!**

* * *

Before heading to class to start off the week, Squall dropped by his office to pick up some of his paper work. The papers were beginning to pile up and Xu was beginning to feel stressed. She had snapped, a couple of days earlier, when Zell came to hang out, and accidentally tripped and knocked over the paperwork. Squall had never seen Xu so enraged, it was nothing like Quistis when she was angry, but Xu was almost as scary as Quistis. Zell now fears going to the office and he cringes when Xu's near. Before letting himself in inside his own office, Squall took a quick peek. Xu had her back turned and seemed to be writing something. Doesn't seem like she was angry. Squall slid inside and casually nodded at Xu as he sat in his chair. Not even a minute has passed after Squall took a seat, Xu quickly stood from her desk, and slammed a piece of paper in Squall's table causing him to jump in surprise.

"W-what?"

"Squall, I need a vacation." said Xu. Squall blinked twice. He knew this would come sooner or later.

"I think so too." Squall examined the piece of paper, it was an application for a leave of absence. "Three weeks? That long?" When she had said she needed a vacation, he was thinking 3-5 days, but three weeks?! He couldn't imagine the amount of paperwork that would pile up in her absence.

"Squall if I stay here one more day, I'd probably resign…. or strangle someone. You choose. Just let me go, okay?" Xu said. Her voice firm and resolute.

"But…" Squall was about to protest, but decided against it when he noticed Xu tightly closed her fists. "I guess I can handle the paperwork on my own for three weeks, with my classes on going too…" Squall was trying to indiscreetly let her realize that this was going to be hard on his part and that she should reconsider. But sadly, Xu was determined to get her long deserved vacation.

"Of course you can! It's not like you have that much side activities aside from classes, and I haven't seen my boyfriend in weeks!" she said, her voice slightly louder.

"That's because Nida's in a mission…"

"Just sign the damn paper Squall! Three weeks is all I ask! I haven't had a vacation in two years!" Xu was mad, her cheeks flushing in anger. She was really, REALLY stressed out after all.

"Fine. But you still need the headmaster's permission." Hopefully Cid would side with him on this.

"Done." she handed him another paper, a signed letter from the Headmaster himself. What did Cid think of him, some kind of invincible hero? He was still human after all. Three weeks without Xu would mean three weeks of sleepless nights and living on snacks and instant noodles, he'd just have to put up with it. What choice did he have, as the commander after all?

* * *

A week after the start of classes, Rikku was becoming more and more at ease with her life in the Garden. She wasn't as lost as she was when she first came to the place. She was beginning to feel at home. The Squallies, after a week snide comments and remarks, seemed to have find the whole idea boring now. Sure, she still felt irritated at the sight of the commander, but it was a good thing that they barely spoke to each other during classes. She could live with that, she'd only have to see him during Mondays and Wednesdays after all. And having classes with the stoic commander was not that much of a hassle when Seifer was there in the same room. She had heard things about Seifer, mostly bad things, but they didn't seem to be true. Except maybe the fact that he was the Sorceress' knight. She liked Seifer, he was a no nonsense kind of guy, he wasn't afraid to voice out his opinions. They always had interesting conversations. She caught up with her best friend Hailey just before the start of her next class, again with Seifer and the commander.

"Hailey, what more do you know about him?" she asked, Hailey closed the book she was reading and turned to her friend.

"Almasy again? You really have a thing for the rebellious types huh?"

"You forgot to add my weakness for tall blond guys. Don't you have a class with him?"

"That was before though. There's not much else to say. He's gun blade expert, his magic specialty is Fire, He failed a lot of SeeD exams for disobeying orders, he was the sorceress' lap dog, he's part of the discipline committee and… yeah that's all I know…"

"How about girls? Have you heard if he has a girlfriend? What's his type?" she asked eagerly.

"I don't know. But I have heard rumors that he dated a lot of girls before…" said Hailey.

"Of course he has! Who wouldn't date someone as hot as him? I bet all the girls just drool all over him. I get butterflies in my stomach whenever I'm near him… Hail! Is this love perhaps?!"

"Cool it. Shouldn't you be heading to class? You don't wanna be late. Seifer's gonna be there…" Rikku glanced at her watch.

"Oh crap! I'm gonna be late! See yah!" She dashed towards the 2nd floor Hall, where her Weapons Mastery class was to take place. When she got to the room, Seifer was already there, with his feet up on the table and looking high and mighty as usual. He seemed to be talking with Squall, who was expressionless, as always. Rikku took her seat next to Seifer.

"Hey…" Rikku greeted him as she smiled. Seifer and Squall turned to face her.

"Hi…" Seifer greeted back as he faced Squall again. "Like I said Pubes, why don't you ask Selphie for help? She has less subjects than I do, and I don't know shit about your stupid paperwork." Seifer told him. Rikku listening in on their conversation.

"I already did, said she was too busy with the Garden Festival Committee. I wouldn't have asked if I had any other choice." said Squall. He looked as if he was really desperate for help. And that's saying a lot since he usually displays no emotion.

"What about the cowboy? Or Chicken Wuss?" Seifer sure had kick ass nicknames for his friends, Rikku thought.

"Irvine is busy preparing himself for the Instructor exams, and Zell, are you kidding me?" Zell would probably cause more work than help lessen it, Squall thought.

"Not in a million years Leonhart…"

"You still owe me money…"

"Still, of all the people you could ask, why me? You might as well have asked this girl…" said Seifer, referring to the girl sitting next to him, Rikku. "Hey wait! I just thought of something! Rikku…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you have to serve detention ?"

She completely forgot about it. It was supposed to start this week. "Yes, but how did you know?" Rikku asked him. But was ignored as soon as she answered as Seifer turned to face Squall again.

"Squall, if I could find someone to help out with your paperwork, would you consider my debt paid?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Just answer the damn question!" Squall hesitated a little, before nodding. Seifer then turned to Rikku. "Rikku, instead of serving detention, you'll be helping out with Squall's paperwork."

"Hey…" Squall started to say, but was immediately cut off by Seifer.

"So how about it Rikku?"

"…and you're saying this to me because…?"

"I'm the head of the Discipline Committee." Of course he was. The fact didn't surprise her a bit.

Work for this cold guy? She shivered at the thought. "But I'd much rather do the detention than work my ass off for this cold bastard!" Rikku protested.

"…and here I was thinking you and the word "work" don't mix." said Squall. Rikku stuck out her tongue at him.

"Then you'd rather clean up the boy's bathroom in the Lobby, in the 2nd floor, and in the 3rd floor? Or maybe cleaning the monster guts at the training center?" asked Seifer. That was the usual punishments he handed out.

"Hmm… Can I think about it?" Rikku asked, she wasn't sure what the better punishment was.

"What's there to think about? He may be a cold, anti-social bastard, but he's still human and he's not going to eat you." said Seifer. Squall shot icy glares to Seifer's direction.

Rikku thought hard about her answer. Would it really be that bad to work for the guy? He looks nice enough, aside from the fact that he had publicly humiliated her. Would she want to work for a stuck up, insensitive guy like him? She listed the pros and the cons in her head.

Cons:

1. Squall would be there.

2. I would be handling mountains of paper work.

3. Squall isn't the talkative type, and an hour a day with him would seem like an eternity.

4. The Squallies would stalk me and curse me for being alone in a room with their precious commander.

Pros:

1. At least I won't be scrubbing dirty toilets, and mopping off pee on the floor! And monster guts! Gulp!

2. My 20 hours worth of detention would be down to 15 since it's only going to be three weeks!

3. **Seifer **and Squall are sort of friends…

4. **Seifer**sometimes eats lunch with Squall and his friends, and if I could somehow befriend Squall, Squall might then invite me to have lunch with them. I'll get to eat lunch with **Seifer**!

Pros it is then!

"Fine then.." she told Seifer. Squall almost fell off his seat. He thought she wouldn't agree, seeing as how she didn't like him one bit. That was quite a surprise. Just what was she up to?

"You'll start later then, after classes. Pubes, she's all yours!" Seifer grinned.

"Can't wait." Squall said sarcastically.

* * *

Rikku was beginning to have doubts about this. She'd have to behave herself in front of him, or else she might be given more detention, and that was something she was trying to avoid. It was bad enough that her father had suspended her allowance for a week because of the detention. She felt nervous, walking behind him, on their way to his office. They both didn't speak a word to each other even as they arrived in his office. He took out a keycard from his pocket and inserted it in the scanner and the door opened. The commander's office was almost as big as the headmaster's. The office was pretty clean, except maybe when Squall led her to Xu's table. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw how tall the papers were. It was almost two feet high.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"That's not all of it." Squall opened Xu's drawers and took out more papers, twice the amount of the first papers she saw. Rikku's jaw dropped.

"What did I get myself into? Can I still do the other detention?"

"Not a chance. Get started." Squall ordered.

"But how?" she asked. Never in her life had she done some office work. Squall handed her a piece of paper.

"All you need to do is follow the instructions written on that paper. If you have any more questions, I'll be in my office." said Squall, leaving Rikku in Xu's office. She read the instructions twice, it seemed simple enough. Separate according to departments, Stamp, then put into the file cabinet. The papers were Student Profiles of SeeDs and upcoming SeeDs. She seated herself comfortably in Xu's chair as she got started on the papers. The faster she worked, the sooner she'd be done with this detention. She stamped on the papers so fast, she wasn't even bothering to read them and just randomly stacked the stamped papers. But after what seemed like half an hour, She was beginning to feel bored. Her efforts seemed to be futile. The papers were still high. She was beginning to feel sleepy, she had an early start after all.

Squall kept a close eye on the girl Rikku. He glanced at her every now and then to make sure she was really working. She was not slacking off, to his disbelief. He had been thinking that she wasn't the kind of girl who would be enthused to be working at an office with a bunch of paperwork. He was quite surprised that she was working at such a fast pace. He let a couple of minutes pass before he glanced at her again. And he wasn't the least bit surprised when he saw her head was on the table, and she looked like she was asleep. He stood up to wake the girl and get her to work again. He was about to wake her, when he had realized that she really wasn't sleeping, she was playing a game, on a handheld video game under the table, pretending to be asleep.

"Ehem…" The girl didn't seem to hear him. She was wearing earphones. Squall tugged the earphones out of her ear.

"Hey… What the…Oh crap…"

"What do you think you're doing?" Squall asked her. Rikku gulped.

"Uhh…. Playing video games?" she giggled nervously.

"I can see that. Give it here."

"I promise not to do it again! Just please don't take it away from me!" She clutched the game closer to her. Squall's hand was still extended, waiting for her to give him the game. Rikku sighed, as she handed the game to him.

"I'll be holding unto this until your detention ends." said Squall.

"What?! But that's still three weeks from now!"

"Would you prefer if I handed it to the Discipline Committee?" Hailey had told her before about how the members of the Discipline committee don't usually give back what they confiscate. She didn't answer him.

"Guess not. Then you'd better get back to…" Squall's never got to finish his sentence because it was cut short by a sudden power outage.

"A Black out?" said Rikku. The whole room turned dark. The only visible light was the emergency lights situated at the exits. Squall started walking towards the wall, were the intercom was placed. He pressed some keys and after a beep, someone had answered.

"What happened?" he asked the person on the other line.

"_Sir! The main power supply has short circuited, there seems to be a disruption in the flow of power."_

"A disruption? What are the people in maintenance doing?"

"We've tried contacting them, but there was no answer. I could send someone to make sure they're okay in there…"

'No. I'll go myself, I'm nearer. Get the electricians ready."

"Yes sir!"

"Stay here." Squall said. He grabbed his jacket and his gun blade.

"Hey wait! You can't just leave me here! I'm going with you!" Rikku told him.

"Fine." Squall rummaged through a couple of drawers and was able to find flashlights. He turned on the flashlight as he threw the other to Rikku.

"So where are we going?" Rikku asked, following behind Squall.

"The Power Supply room."

"Then why aren't you going through the door?"

"The doors are powered by electricity. They wouldn't open during an outage." Squall then kneeled under his desk. Rikku kneeled as well to get a closer look. There was a numeric keypad on the floor under his desk covered by a carpet. Squall pressed a couple of passwords and the device had beeped. The floor of his desk opened, revealing a narrow, dark passageway.

"Wow…So secret passageways do exist!" said Rikku. Squall was already sliding himself inside the passage as he landed on the ground below with a thud.

"You coming?" he asked her. Rikku nodded. She slid inside a the hole and landed next to Squall.

"So where does this passage lead to?" she asked. As she followed behind Squall, who had started walking.

"Everywhere." Squall simply answered.

"Being the commander sure has it perks huh?"

"Tell anyone about the passageway, and I'll kick you out. Got it?"

He sure was scary. "Yeah…" she answered. The two continued walking through the dark passage, It was a maze. But Squall didn't seem to be lost at all. He knew which junction to take.

"You sure know your way around here. I got confused at that first junction." said Rikku. She never was good at directions. Squall ignored her.

"You sure don't talk that much, huh?" No answer. "You could at least nod or something." Still no answer. "Geez, It's like talking to a wall." said Rikku. Squall then remembered something similar that he had said to Quistis a couple of years ago. 'Go talk to a wall'. After the war, he and Quistis got to talking, she had told him about how it had hurt, when Squall said those words to her. Quistis had lectured him about that personality of his, and how he should try to be more open. Rikku seemed like a nice girl and she was just trying to make conversation. Pushing people away was something he was trying to avoid, The others, not only Quistis, would lecture him again for being so cold.

"Sorry." he mumbled.

"Sorry for what…?' Rikku asked, confused at what he had just said.

"For not answering and being rude, and about your first day" said Squall. It was rare that he apologized, might as well make the most of it and apologize for everything. Rikku's jaw dropped in surprise.

"You serious?" Squall glared at her. "Wow… I did not expect that! So you do have feelings!"

"Whatever."

"Haha! There you go again. About that first day, don't worry about it. The Squallies aren't that much hard to handle anyway. They're all wusses. But it would make me feel better if you gave me back my PSP…"

"No."

"Didn't think so." The annoyance she felt for him, was slowly, but surely, dissipating.

After walking for a couple of minutes, they reached a wide, rusting metallic door. Squall tried opening the door, but the knobs were shut too tight.

"How about if we break down the door?"

"We might hurt the Maintenance guys inside."

"Oh right." Rikku stood in front of the door, and started banging on it hard. "Hey! Open the door!" There was no answer. Rikku leaned toward the door to hear what was happening inside the room. "I can hear a strange sound…so eerie…"

"It's probably a monster."

"But how can a monster make its way here…?" she asked.

"There are times when the maintenance guys slack off, they forget to close some of the passageways. Something like this has happened before." said Squall.

"But what would a monster do in the Power Room?"

"Only one way to find out." Squall closed his eyes and started to concentrate. Rikku watched him in earnest. "Fire." a small ball of fire was concentrated at his right hand. He fired it accurately and it hit the door's lock.

"I didn't know you could use fire magic that way…" Rikku said.

"You ready?" Squall asked, taking out his gun blade.

"Yep!" Rikku took out two red twin daggers from behind her. Squall pushed the door open. The power supply room was circular and had a high ceiling, it proved to be bigger than what Rikku was expecting. They found the maintenance guy on the floor unconscious. Squall quickly went toward the maintenance guys.

"He's alive." He said.

"I won't be, though, if you won't help me out here!" Rikku screamed, in front of them, at the center of the room next to the power supply was a monster, it was sucking the electricity flowing from the broken cords of the power supply. It had stopped what it was doing, and had roared ferociously at them. It was a flying monster.

"It looks like Diablos!" said Rikku.

"It's an Elvoret. It's a thunder-based monster." Squall said. How could an Elvoret made its way up here? There weren't even Elvorets in the Training Center.

"I'm going in!" said Rikku. She lunged forward to face the monster, she aimed to decapitate one if its wings, but had failed to do so when a strong gust of wind magic had swept her off her feet. She fell butt first to the ground. "Owie!"

"It can also use wind magic." said Squall.

"You could have told me!" Rikku stood up, and dusted herself off.

"You shouldn't have attacked so recklessly." Squall told her. Took hold of his gun blade with both hands as he jumped, at least ten meters high as he dodged an Aero magic easily. Rikku couldn't even follow his actions, he was too fast as if he was under a Haste spell. The next thing she knew, the monster was on the floor, both its wings slashed apart from its body. It was writhing in pain.

"Water" a bubble of water had covered the monster and drowned it. It landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"Whoa… You killed that monster with a single water magic! That was soo cool!" said Rikku. Squall hitched his gun blade back to his belt and made his way towards the maintenance guy.

"We have to get him to the infirmary." Rikku was about to help Squall carry the guy, when she heard something move from behind them, the Elvoret was casting magic and it was targeting Squall.

"Watch out!" Rikku quickly ran towards him and pushed him out of the way. The force of her push had sent him halfway across the room, his head had hit the wall and it knocked him unconscious.

* * *

a/n: thanks for the reviews! they really keep me going. But sorry about the long update though, summer classes are such a pain...


	4. Chapter 4: Rescued

When he had opened his eyes, he felt slightly disoriented, his head was aching, like it had been split in two. He ran his fingers through his head and felt a rather big lump on the back of his head. What happened to him? Slowly he sat up from the bed he was laying on, and it was then that he realized that he wasn't in his room. He was in the infirmary. He could hear voices from across the room, and saw figures huddled over a bed. They were whispering but he could hear them clear enough.

"How is she?" asked Selphie. Zell was standing behind her, leaning in to get a better look at whoever it was on the bed.

"The wound on her shoulder is fairly deep and she's lost some blood. Thankfully the wound has closed, but she will have to wear a cast on her arm." said Dr. Kadowaki. She? Squall was confused, who were they talking about?

"She broke her arm?" asked Zell.

"Yes, but it will heal in about a month or so. I gave her drugs for the pain, and she probably won't be waking up any time soon, but I assure you, she'll be fine."

"Thank you Doctor…" said another female voice, it sounded like a classmate of his, Hailey. So Hailey was here too? Who was it that got injured anyway? A friend of Hailey's that was also a friend of his friends. And then it hit him. Rikku. She had jumped in front of him when the Elvoret was about to attack him. Squall stood up, and hurriedly made his way to the other side of the Infirmary. Zell, Selphie and Hailey turned to face him.

"Squall! You okay?" Selphie asked as she grabbed his arm in concern.

Squall nodded. "I'm fine." He then turned his attention to the person lying on the bed. Rikku had a couple of bruises on her face, and a deep gash could be seen on her shoulder and her right arm was on a cast. Why did she save him?

"Man, that monster almost had you, If it wasn't for Rikku, you would have been badly injured." said Zell.

"What exactly happened to her?" he asked. The events were still a bit of a blur to him.

"Well when you were helping the maintenance guy, you didn't see that monster was still alive, Rikku did, and so she pushed you out of the way but she wasn't able to dodge fast enough and the monster's claw had slashed her in the shoulder. The impact of the attack sent her flying and she broke her arm when she tried to break her fall. The monster was about to feed on you two, but it was a good thing Seifer arrived in time to save you both." Zell told him. Squall was at a loss for words, more so than usual. I thought this girl didn't like him? Why would she risk her neck to save him? It didn't made any sense to him.

"Squall, you had a concussion when you hit your head, you should still rest." said Dr. Kadowaki, as she led him back to the bed he was lying on.

"Don't worry Squall, she'll be fine. Get some rest, okay?" said Selphie. Squall nodded at her and laid down. His head was still aching, and it wasn't long before he had fallen asleep again. But before he did, he couldn't help but wonder why she saved him.

When he had been cleared by the doctor to leave the Infirmary the next day, he got out of there as fast as he could. Why? He didn't know how to face her. How do you face someone who saved your life? And said person didn't like you at all. He wasn't sure how, This was a first to him. Usually, he was the one doing the saving. Of course the most rational thing he should do would be to say thanks to her. But he would have to do it at the right timing. Rikku's room at the infirmary was packed, usually with Hailey, and sometimes his friends too, who , he noticed, have grown attached to the Trabian girl. He couldn't possibly say thanks to her in front of his friends, not especially with Seifer always hanging out there. Seifer would tease him endlessly about it.

* * *

It was a Saturday, a break from classes, he was ordered by the Headmaster to take the day off, since he was just released from the Infirmary yesterday. He felt bored, really bored. To ease his boredom, he decided to take a stroll along the Quad, but decided against it when he saw Irvine and Selphie hanging out there. Those two had been pushing him to say thanks to Rikku, and he surely wasn't ready for it. His feet had lead him to the Cafeteria next, and he was surprised to see that the line wasn't long… in fact, there were only 2 people falling in line. This was his chance to grab a quick snack, it was almost lunchtime anyway. So he fell in line, and waited for his turn.

"Commander Leonhart! I heard about that incident at the Power Supply Room. Are you feeling better?" asked the Lunch lady. Mrs. Jameson was a really kind woman in her fourties.

"Yes, thank you." Squall replied.

"You look a little under the weather though. I hope the headmaster isn't making you work too hard."

"I actually have the day off."

"That's good! Here dear, I'll give you the last of the hotdogs, it's on me!" Mrs. Jameson wrapped two hotdog sandwiches and put it into a paper bag which she then shoved towards the unwilling commander.

"But I couldn't possibly…"

"Don't worry about it, dear." she insisted. Squall thanked the kind woman and decided to eat the hotdogs in his dorm room. On his way to the dormitories, he ran into Zell, who was running around in his sweats, he seemed to be jogging.

"Yo, Squall! How's the head?" asked Zell, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

"Better."

"Good. Man I'm beat. Zukie made me run all over the garden, she said I was gaining weight…" he said. Zell was actually looking heavier than usual.

"You should lay off the hotdogs." Squall told him. Yeah as if he would listen!

"She told me that too, but that would take a lot of will power on my part. Oh hey, the next time a monster extermination mission comes up, will you sign me up? I haven't been able to kick some monster ass for some time now, it'll also be good exercise." said Zell.

"Sure. We have a lot of requests actually.."

"Really? Great! Pick something near okay? Don't wanna be gone for too long, it's Zukie's birthday next week." Zell was really in love with this girlfriend of his, Squall thought. He used to be able to go on and on and on about hotdogs but nowadays, it's only about the Library Girl.

"Okay then." Squall was about to turn and leave.

"Oh hey Squall! Have you visited Rikku yet?" Zell asked him. Squall sighed, did Irvine and Selphie talk Zell into talking to him to force him to say thanks to Rikku?

He didn't answer, he still had his back turned on him.

"Well I think you should visit her. Hailey's away on a mission, and she doesn't have any other friends besides us, you should keep her company." Zell told him. Zell took off running to continue his jogging. He didn't know what unforeseen force could have egged him to do so, but Squall found himself walking towards the Infirmary, all the while thinking what to say to her. He then finally came up with "Oh screw it just say whatever pops into your head". When he entered the infirmary, Dr. Kadowaki was nowhere in sight, he saw the Infirmary's announcement board, and read that the Doctor was at Balamb town for a medical conference, and only a student assistant was on duty. But the assistant didn't seem to be here too. He made his way to the small room at the far back of the Infirmary, where he figured Rikku was in, they must have transferred her there. He knocked on the door twice.

"Come in!" said Rikku, she sounded like her usual self, she must be feeling better. Squall felt relieved, at least she didn't sound mad, he wasn't in the mode for arguments. Squall opened the door and led himself in. Rikku was sitting up in bed, texting on her mobile phone. Rikku's eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.

"L-leonhart!! W-what are you doing here?" she asked, pulling her blanket closer to her as if she had just seen a ghost. Squall stood at the foot of her bed.

"Visiting." She looked as if she wasn't expecting him at all.. Well they both did not see this coming.

"Why?"

"…." he paused for a while, struggling to find the right words.

"Are you just gonna stand there and not answer me?"

"I guess…I owe you a thanks." he finally blurted out.

"Oh wow! You're actually here to say thanks? Why commander! I am so deeply honored!" said Rikku, sarcasm evident in her tone.

"Thanks." he muttered, sounding as sincere and as convincing as he was capable of. Rikku almost dropped her cellphone in surprise. He sounded sincere alright.

"Whoa… there's actually sincerity there… Err…" she seemed to be at a loss for words. "No problem…I guess…" she said.

"Get well soon, then." Squall told her, as he turned to leave. Rikku grabbed his arm before he could do so.

"H-hey! You just got here! You could at least keep me company. You do owe me, you know!" said Rikku, a small smile forming on her lips. Squall blinked in surprise a couple of times, and nodded. Rikku pointed to a chair next to her bed and let go of his arm. Squall took a seat and looked at her injuries. Her bruises seemed to be healing, and the wound on her shoulder didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. "I smell hotdogs!" said Rikku, staring at the paper bag in his hands.

"Do you want one?" he offered. Rikku nodded. Squall gave her the other hotdog and she took it without hesitation and unwrapped it as fast as she could with just her left hand, her right arm was on a cast after all. "You haven't eaten?" he asked. She was already munching on the hotdog.

"I have… the student assistant gave me food earlier, but that stuff wasn't enough, Patient food sucks! I'm still starving!" she said. That one he agreed on, he had been a regular on the infirmary a couple of years ago after all, he had experienced the gruesome food. She had devoured her hotdog in less than a minute. She really wasn't kidding when she said she was starving.

"Want another one?" Squall handed the other hotdog and she took it willingly, munching down on her second. He just sat there, watching her consume the hotdog. He had never seen a girl eat a hotdog like that before, it was a bit terrifying. Rikku noticed Squall staring at her, and she laughed.

"Sorry you had to see that… That's how I am when I get really hungry. These hotdogs are delicious! I've been here a month but this is the first time I've eaten this!" said Rikku wiping ketchup off her cheek. The hotdogs were still a huge success in the Garden. They're always wiped out.

"I guess they're okay…" said Squall.

"You know, this hotdog tastes the same as that hotdog I had in town!"

"The one in Balamb and the one at the Cafeteria is owned by the same person, Mrs. Dawson."

"Wow, really? Man! If I was rich, I would buy my own hotdog stand!"

"The burger is pretty good too…"

"Really? I'd have to try that too. I could eat nothing but these hotdogs! When I get out of here, the first thing on my to-do list is to fall in line early at the cafeteria!" said Rikku. For someone who was injured, she sure didn't sound like it. "Hey! Can you believe it, we're actually having small talk, neat huh? I guess all the tension between us is gone now that we're friends." Friends, huh? That didn't sound bad to him at all. The thought of being friends with this girl didn't offend him. He really is getting soft.

"When are you going to be released?" he suddenly asked, trying to pry away from the topic of being 'friends'.

"In two days I think. Although I'm not sure how the hell am I supposed to go to class with my right arm on a cast." she said. She didn't sound the least bit sad that she had broken her arm.

"Why…" he muttered. No, he couldn't say it.

Rikku raised an eyebrow in question. "Why what…?"

"Nothing."

"I heard you! You were about to say something!"

"No I wasn't" Squall said, great, now she's going to pester him to say it. Why the hell did he blurt it out.

"Oh come on say it! You know you want to, so out with it!"

"…………"

"Please?"

"…….." Squall ignored her, he figured if he ignored her long enough she'd get tired of it eventually.

Rikku grinned mischievously. She wasn't going to give up wasn't she? "Say it, say it, say it, say it, say…"

"Why did you save me?" he finally asked her to get her to shut up.

"Hmm… Let's see…" She paused for a while, scratching her forehead as if she was thinking deeply. "Well you may be a cold emo bastard and an anti-social introvert but I think you're a pretty decent dude inside. You're just not used to expressing your feelings, and despite the disaster when we first met, I think you have some good in you." said Rikku as she smiled at him. Now he was even more confused.

"So that's your reason?"

"Yeah, pretty much… Plus, if you got injured and the Squallies found out I was there with you, they'd think I had something to do with it." she said jokingly.

"You must have another reason!" Squall raised his voice.

"Nope, that's it. Come on, you should just be grateful okay? " She wasn't the least bit scared of him. Was she really that simple minded? Squall couldn't figure this girl out.

Squall sighed. "I could talk to your Instructors about your situation, I'll ask them to lighten your class activities until your arm heals. And about your detention, you don't have to complete it." said Squall as he stood up.

"You serious?!" Squall nodded. "I'm off the hook? Sweet! Thanks Leonhart! Err I mean, Commander!"

"Squall is fine." since they're supposed to be friends now anyway.

"Okay then, Squall. I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me, now we're even." Squall turned to leave, when Rikku grabbed his hand.

"Well if you're not that busy, could you come visit me again? It get's pretty boring here, and Hail's away on a mission.." said Rikku. Squall stared at her for moment and found himself being drawn in the color of her eyes, they were green, the same green as the color of a field of grass and… Wait! He did not just describe the color of her eyes! Squall twisted his wrist to free himself from her grip.

"Whatever." He told her, as he let himself out of her room, and out of the infirmary.

* * *

The next day, Sunday, Squall found himself again without nothing to do. When he woke up that day, he did some things to kill time, Go through his notes for class (but he just went over them yesterday and going through them again would be pointless since he knew them by heart.), Practice at the Training Center (but when he got there it was closed today for maintenance), He turned on his barely used flat screen t.v (but when he flipped through the channels, nothing good was on) , He thought of cleaning his room, (but when he looked around it was still pretty clean). His last resort was to work at his office and diminish the stacks of paperwork. He changed clothes, since he was still wearing his training clothes, put on a plain black t-shirt and jeans and left his room. On the elevator he felt his pockets vibrate, his mobile phone was ringing. He flipped it open and saw the number, it was an unknown number. He pressed the green button and held it to his ear.

"Yes?"

_"Squall? This is Hailey, Hailey Auguste…"_

"Hailey? How did you get my number?" he asked her. He wasn't the type of person who handed out his phone number freely.

_"Selphie gave it to me. I hope you don't mind."_

"No it's okay. Why did you call?"

_"Well you sent me on a mission to Trabia remember? And my team and I won't be able to return for two more days, I thought you should know."_

"Why?"

_"Well we completed the client's request, but there was a bombing incident at the airport and all flights are cancelled…"_ A bombing incident?

"Terrorists?" Galbiadian loyalists, most probably.

_"The media said it was the work of a small Terrorist group."_

"You know, you're supposed to use the Garden's line…" it was the standard procedure after all.

_"I know but actually there's something else…"_ Hailey hesitated a bit before she continued. _"Well you see, Rikku's going to be released tomorrow and I won't be there then to help her out, so I was wondering if…"_ she paused.

I think I know where this conversation is headed, Squall thought._ "If you'd help her out?"_ He thought right. _"You see, aside from me, the only other friends she has are you and Selphie and the others… and I know you and Rikku got off to a bad start but you're the only one I can ask…"_ said Hailey. He had to admit, Hailey was quite the best friend, asking him (of all people) for a favor.

"What about Selphie, or Zell, or Irvine?" Or Seifer, for that matter? Why did it have to be him?

_"Zell's in Balamb with his mom, and Selphie and Irvine went to Galbadia for the weekend." _Oh right, he had forgotten about that._ "Squall, please? I wouldn't have asked you if there was another choice…"_ said Hailey. Squall sighed, he may be anti-social and all that other stuff, but he still has compassion in him after all. How could he say no when she had asked so politely? Damn him and his so-called 'compassion'.

"Fine…" he muttered into the receiver. Though he was pretty sure he was going to regret it.

_"Really! That's great! Thank you so much Squall!"_ Hailey thanked him and ended the call quickly before Squall could change his mind. Shrugging, Squall put his mobile phone back into his pocket and walked away from the elevator, making his way to the infirmary. She was going to be released tomorrow but he might as well pay her a visit. When he got there, the infirmary was almost as empty as it was yesterday. A few steps away from Rikku's room, he heard voices, someone was inside the room with her. He stopped in front of the door, and before he turned the knob, leaned his ear closer to the door.

"….and then he got off the stage, jumped into the crowd, where no one was kind enough to catch him! He fell face first to the floor!" said Rikku, her voice sounded more hyper than usual.

"Haha! Serves him right, that guy's a wannabe." said the other voice, and it sounded a lot like…

"Seifer! You took the words right out of my mouth!" said Rikku as she laughed along with him. Seifer? What was he doing there, with her? They sounded like they were having fun. Then he remembered about Seifer being the one who found them when it happened. He had noticed, during classes, during lunch, and even after classes, Rikku and Seifer were inseparable. They were always together, always laughing out loud and having fun. Hesitating at first, he decided to knock on the door and was instantly face to face with Seifer, who opened the door.

"Pubes? The hell you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see him.

"Oh hey Squall! You came to visit!" said Rikku, giving him a small smile. He let himself in and turned to face Rikku.

"Hailey called me…"

"Yeah I know" she spoke before he could finish. "She called me too! But you don't have to worry though, Seifer offered to help me out when I get released tomorrow, so you're off the hook!" He did what? Seifer, offering to help another person? But then again, he saw a bit of himself in Seifer, he's capable of being compassionate as well.

"I see."

"Well, thanks anyway. And for keeping me company yesterday too." said Rikku. Squall nodded and left the room quickly. Walking at such a fast pace, feeling like a complete fool. Of course, if Rikku were given a chance to choose between him and Seifer, it would be Seifer, naturally. Rikku said they were friends, but Squall knew that among them, Seifer was the closest to Rikku. He was witness to it after all, Most of his classes were with the two. He knew all of this, sure…, but then, why the hell did he feel slightly annoyed?

**a/n: not sure if anyone would read this, it's been months, I know…. I've been through a lot and it was just recently that I found the urge to continue writing this fic. But if anyone would read this, I hope you find it in you to review this chapter… It would be highly appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5: Fire Cavern

a/n: took a while, I know... but this story's still alive! woo!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Fire Cavern**

While most girls her age would obsess and strive to be the most popular girl in school, being the center of attention and admiration, she proudly admits that she is not one of those girls. She prefers to be away from the crowd, and instead live a quiet and peaceful life with a small group of friends. That's what how she wanted her school life to be, like when she was still in Trabia. But unfortunately for her, her new life in Balamb was far from the ideal scenario she pictured in her head. Wherever she went, people would stare and whisper behind her back, like she was a walking disease of sorts. She was popular alright, but not in the way most girls would want to be. She had become the infamous girl who happened to save their dear commander's ass. But she had heard a few rumors about herself that were not at all pleasing to hear. That it was her who caused the power interruption to have Squall to herself on the maintenance room, and she had even heard some people (mostly the Squallies) say that she just made it look like she was the one who saved Squall so she could get closer with him. Most of the time she just laughed it off, but it was beginning to be REALLY annoying.

When she was well enough to go back to class, she thought at least they had enough decency to not pick on someone who had a broken arm, but she thought wrong. They would bump into her purposely, tip over her books so they would fall to the floor, and even hide some of her things. She had thought of asking Seifer's help, but she had too much pride to ask for help, she was raised as an independent girl after all. She ignored all of it, they would soon get tired of it anyway, but sometimes she just really wanted to beat the crap out of those girls. Especially Jenna Cameron.

Jenna was a SeeD two years older than she was, and is a pronounced member of the unofficial "Squallies". She was usually behind all the pranks and tricks being pulled on her. Everyone in the Garden knew she was obsessed with Squall. But of course Squall, was oblivious to it, or even if he did know, he just ignored it. She was a very attractive girl, Tall, slender, brunette with big breasts, and she was rich too. She was very popular among the guys in the Garden. But she only had eyes for the commander. She was pretty on the outside, but pure evil on the inside.

Rikku was making her way to class as usual, walking along the second floor halls, looking very carefully around her for any sings of approaching Squallies, she sighed in relief, they weren't anywhere in sight. So she walked more slowly, casually towards the classroom. But suddenly, a foot came blocking her way out of nowhere and she tripped landing face first to the floor, her bag and books landing next to her. She heard a few giggles from girls, unmistakably from Jenna and her evil incarnates. That's when she lost control, she felt ready to explode, like she was on Limit Break. She was about to draw her daggers, when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she snapped out of it. When she looked behind her to see who it was, she was met with a pair of blue eyes.

"You okay?" Squall asked her, helping her up. She was surprised to see that it was Squall, and was unable to speak right away. Squall bent down and picked up her books from the floor and it was only then that Rikku became coherent again.

"Thanks." she managed to say. Squall nodded. He then gave Jenna and her friends a scary glare and the girls ran away, terrified. People who had been watching the little scene quickly turned their gazes away. Such was the power of Squall's glare.

"Be careful, then." Squall told her, in his usual expressionless face as he proceeded down the hall to his class. Was it just her or did he seem colder than usual? Sure he helped her out, but the look on his face… something was really off. It was probably just her imagination, she didn't know Squall that well anyway. She tried shrugging the thought away but still couldn't help but feel bothered. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Seifer approaching.

"Nice face powder." said Seifer, smirking as he said so. Turning red from embarrassment, she turned away from him and wiped the dirt from her face.

"Jenna." she told him, and when she was sure her face was dirt free, she turned to face him again.

"Still bothering you huh? Want me to give her a hard time?" he offered, with a mischievous grin on his face.

"No its okay. She's not worth your time anyway."

"True. You heading to class?" asked Seifer as he extended his hand, taking her books from her. Rikku blushed at his small gesture. They continued through the hallway and stopped in front of Rikku's classroom.

"Yeah, thanks." she muttered. "Free period?" she asked him, even though she knew his schedule by heart.

"Uh-huh. Hey, I'll see you at the Library later." Seifer put her books down on her desk, winked at her and left the classroom in a hurry. She sighed. Seifer may be seen as the resident bad boy, but he can be such a gentleman sometimes. She can't help but grow more and more attached to him. She couldn't wait for classes to end and meet up with him again for their Study group.

SeeD field exams were just around the corner. It was in two days. It was Seifer who asked her to be his study partner. They had been meeting in the library for a week now. But studying with Seifer was not at all easy, she couldn't concentrate at all, she was always staring at him and sighing like a lovesick young girl. (technically, she really is). She didn't regret it at all, studying with Seifer, she felt as if they had grown closer…

* * *

With Xu back from her vacation, Squall found himself with even less things to do to keep his mind preoccupied. He needed things to do to keep himself from thinking. He had this tendency to think too much about things. Things that he had been trying so hard not to think of. He was with Selphie and Irvine at the Quad, Selphie was with the other Garden Festival Committee members, making production plans for the next event, while Irvine sat on a nearby bench, glancing at Selphie from time to time (and some other girls) while he read his notes for the upcoming Instructor exams happening on the same day as the SeeD exams. Squall sat next to Irvine, not really doing anything.

"You nervous?" Squall asked Irvine, trying to make conversation.

"A little… I wish Quistis was here, I could really use her help."

"She'll be here in time for the SeeD Inauguration."

" Not in time for my exams…" Irvine sighed.

"Irvy don't worry about it! You'll make it without Quisty's help!" Selphie assured his long-haired boyfriend as she excused herself from the other committee members and sat next to Irvine.

A couple of students walked past them and sat in the bench opposite theirs. The students brought a music player with then and turned it on, and music started to play. It was a little loud, but Squall wasn't really in the mood to tell them off.

"Do you want me to tell them to keep it down?" asked Selphie, noticing Squall's annoyance. Squall shook his head.

"It's no problem, the quad is supposed to be a hang out anyway." said Squall.

"How come you're so stressed these days? Isn't Xu taking care of your paperwork?" Irvine inquired, looking up from his notes.

"I'm not stressed." he spat at him, Irvine laughed.

"Of course you're not." said Irvine, mocking him.

"Something you want to talk about?" asked Selphie. Squall looked at Selphie, then at Irvine, they seemed to be worried about him, and he was grateful, really. But it was something he wasn't sure of himself, he needed to know what it was that he was feeling first before he told his friends about it.

"I'm fine, just a little tired." Squall told them, hoping that was enough to get them off his case. Selphie and Irvine didn't press on the issue as they started talking about something else. The music of the students opposite them were growing louder, they were listening in on this radio station with a really annoying gay DJ.

"…_and the number 5 song on this weeks' charts is from an up and coming young singer from Deling City who's slowly making her way up the charts! The beautiful and talented Rinoa Heartilly with her debut single, Walk Away"_

As the song started to play, Selphie and Irvine exchanged looks, then looked at Squall, his face was emotionless as always but they knew better. He stood up from the bench and spoke, his back turned on the two.

"See you guys later." Squall muttered as he walked in long strides, storming out of the quad.

"Ooohh he's going to be cranky for the rest of the day." said Selphie. Irvine nodded in agreement.

* * *

He decided that now was a good time to pick up his gunblade and unwind and let out his frustrations at the training center. He opened Lionheart's case, took the gunblade and hung the weapon unto his red leather belt (a/n: yes belt, singular, he got rid of the other two…). He made sure he had a decent supply of magic and junctioned his trusted GF, Shiva. He left his room wearing a plain white shirt, black jeans and sneakers and a gray hooded jacket. He was walking along the first floor, occasionally being greeted by students and SeeDs alike. He heard footsteps coming in from behind him.

"Commander Leonhart!" called Lance Dawson, his Weapons Mastery class instructor who was also a SeeD.

"Yes?"

"Sir, Instructor Johnson called in sick today and he's one of the Instructors for today's Fire Cavern Trials. He was assigned two students…"

"What about the part-time Instructors?"

"They are all booked sir…"

"And so there's no one left..?"

"I'm afraid so…"

"What about you?"

"I already have four students to accompany later, Sir…" Of course, some of the instructors were still in Galbadia for the Workshop, Quistis was among them.

"You do realize that I am not an Instructor… and filling in for an Instructor is not part of my job description…" He was really in no mood to accompany students to the cavern.

"I know sir… I informed the headmaster and he told me to go to you Sir…" Oh so it was the Headmaster… figures. Did Cid hate him or something?

"Fine, I'll do it. Tell the two students I'll meet them at the Garden's Entrance."

"They're already there sir…" said Dawson.

"I'm going then… and please, to avoid something like this again, tell the head instructor to hire more part-timers, okay?" Squall told him. Dawson saluted as he left the commander.

Today was the last day for the Fire Cavern Trials since tomorrow was the SeeD exams. The trials served as a preparation for the actual exam. Instructors were only allowed to accompany 1 student at a time, but since their were fewer Instructors and more SeeD examinees, it would have to be done two at a time.

When Squall reached the Garden's main entrance, he saw two blonde students in uniform waiting, one was female and the other was male.

"_Great… Just Great!" _Squall thought as he made his way towards the two students.

"Oh hey Squall! What are you doing here?" asked Rikku as she saw Squall come up behind them.

"Don't tell me you're subbing for Instructor Johnson?" said Seifer.

"Yes, and don't ask why, it's a long story." Squall told them.

"Such an honor! To be escorted to the Cavern by the commander himself!" Seifer teased, Rikku laughed along with him.

"Let's just get this over with." Squall said, as he started walking towards the Fire Cavern. Seifer and Rikku followed him. When they got to the entrance, they were greeted by the Garden Faculty standing guard.

"I was informed by Instructor Dawson, Commander." The faculty member said, He turned his attention to the other two. "State your names and ID number."

"Seifer Almasy, ID number 41635."

"Rikku Bennet, ID number 51215" The faculty member check his list and saw both their names.

"Seifer Almasy and Rikku Bennet, accompanied by Squall Leonhart, SeeD Commander, ID number 41629. Please select a time limit."

"Hmm… 30 minutes?" Rikku asked Seifer.

"I can do it in 10..."

"Yeah but, I kinda want to raise my level a bit before fighting the GF." said Rikku

"Ok, 30 minutes it is." said Seifer. Rikku smiled at him in appreciation. A smile that Squall has never seen before.

"Almasy, since you have already acquired a GF in this cavern, your only objective is to defeat the monster lurking further inside the cavern. The commander will not assist you in the battle and will only be watching you from the side."

"I understand."

"Time limit chosen is 30 minutes, You may now enter the cavern. Good Luck!" The man stepped aside as the three entered the Fire Cavern, Squall walking closely behind the two.

"I'm kinda excited! My first GF!" said Rikku. She was wearing her uniform and Squall noticed for the first time in weeks, that it actually looks good on her, it fit her perfectly.

"You didn't take your GF from your terminal?" asked Seifer.

"No… It was Ifrit, and Ifrit wouldn't be that much use in this cavern so I thought I'd just leave it there…" said Rikku.

"Incoming." said Squall, as he pointed to a group of monsters in front of them, two Bombs and a Buel.

"Finally! Some action!" Seifer took out his gunblade, Hyperion, twirling it in his fingers before dashing towards the nearby Bomb. Rikku also took out her daggers, and dashed towards the other Bomb killing it in two quick strikes. This was the first time Squall saw Rikku fight. He had to admit, she was really good, and she was quick on her feet too, like she was on Haste. After easily slashing the Bomb in two, Seifer cast a Blizzaga magic on the Buel and it died with one hit.

"Seifer." Squall called, Seifer turned to face him. "You do know that high level spells are not allowed in the Trials right?" Seifer was stupefied for what seemed like a minute before he answered.

"Damn it, I forgot!" he cursed.

"I didn't see anything…" Squall said as he continued to proceed further into the cavern. Seifer followed soon after.

"Squall can be pretty nice, huh?" said Rikku, as she caught up with Seifer.

"When he's not bitching about something…"

"I think he's just not used to opening up to other people… but I can see that he's trying hard…" said Rikku. Seifer stared at her for a second, she was able to figure Squall out in such a short time… Faster than the others had before…

After a few minutes of walking, and killing monsters on the way, they reached a fork, with a path heading to the left, and to the right.

"What now?" Seifer asked Squall.

"The path to the left leads further inside the cavern, to the right is…"

"Where I get the GF right?" said Rikku. Squall nodded. "This is it! Better make sure I junction Ice magic to my Elem-Atk… Oh shoot!"

"What?" asked Seifer.

"I ran out of Blizzards! Used too much on those monsters just now…" said Rikku

"Can't help you there… I've run out of Blizzards too… But I still have Blizzagas though…" Seifer looked at Squall, who gave him a don't-you-dare look.

"You should have made sure that you had a decent supply, this is part of the SeeD exams, you should be prepared for anything…" Squall told her, as he continued. "Draw from me…"

Rikku blinked a couple of times in surprise… "W-what?"

"I said, Draw Blizzard from me…" said Squall, Rikku thought he was joking, but then again, this was Squall Leonhart, he was always serious.

"Y-yeah… Draw!" She drew from him quickly, before he could change his mind, she was able to stock up on a couple of Blizzard spells.

"Aww… Can I draw from you too, Commander?" said Seifer, earning a glare from Squall. "I can defeat the monsters without magic anyway…"

"Let's go…" said Squall, as he continued to the right path… "Seifer, you are not to help Rikku out, I am her support, wait here." said Squall. Seifer did as he was told, and sat on a nearby rock, as he crossed his arms..

"Don't take too long…" Seifer told Rikku.

"Yep! See you later!" said Rikku, as she followed Squall into the right path… After a few seconds of walking, she caught up to him…

"Uhm… Squall?" she called. He stopped walking and looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Thanks for letting me draw from you…" she said. Squall simply nodded as he started walking again.

"You're really not the talkative type huh?" said Rikku, Squall ignored her. "You should talk more Squall, it'll make you feel better!"

"What makes you think I don't feel well?" asked Squall.

"I don't know… I just do… You're annoyed about something… Not me I hope!"

Why does everyone keep telling him that? Did he really looked that annoyed? Of course he did.

"It's none of your business…"

"Hey! No need to be such a prude, I'm your friend and I just want to help, okay?" said Rikku. Squall sighed. Friends can be so annoying at times. Specially this particular 'friend' of his.

"I'm fine. You should be more worried about yourself. Your arm hasn't completely healed yet, right?"

"Yeah… How can you tell?"

"You only took out your daggers once, and you've been using magic to defeat the monsters because your arm still hurts." said Squall.

"Wow, you noticed that? As expected from the SeeD commander. But don't worry about me, I'll manage without my right arm, I'm a leftie, you know?"

"Whatever, let's get this over with." The two continued further, and eventually reached a rather huge crater on the ground. The GF was inside the crater, waiting.

"Are we supposed to jump in?" said Rikku, eyeing the crater with a rather scared expression on her face.

"It's not that high." said Squall

"Yeah but… How are we supposed to climb back up?" she seemed worried.

"It'll be fine… Just go."

"But…" Before she could protest further, Squall slung Rikku over his shoulder as he jumped into the crater. Rikku screamed at the top of her lungs.

"What the hell was that for?!" Rikku exclaimed, as Squall dropped her on the rock hard ground, landing painfully on her rear. "Ow! You could have been more gentle, you know?!" Rikku stood up, and dusted herself off.

"You only have 15 more minutes. You should defeat the GF quickly, or else Seifer would run out of time to defeat the monster further inside the cavern." said Squall. Rikku gulped, she surely didn't want her to be the reason for Seifer to fail.

"Where is that damned GF anyway?" Rikku scanned her surroundings, this was, by far, the hottest place inside the cavern. They were standing on a circular land, hot lava flowing around the edges of the patch of land. She had to be careful, or one false step would send her to the lava. The ground then started shaking, as a huge figure started rising from the lava. The GF was a ram like creature that had 2 masked heads and four arms, and was swinging around a ridiculously large staff as its weapon..

"So I'm guessing this is the GF?" asked Rikku, she looked a bit scared, who wouldn't be, the GF looked really intimidating.

"I am Belias, the Gigas. If you value your life, then you will leave this place immediately." spoke the GF in a loud booming voice.

"Belias? I haven't heard of a GF named Belias before…"

"Belias is one of the 12 rare GF's in Gaia. I didn't know that they appeared in this cavern too…" said Squall. "Rikku, I don't think you can handle this, step aside…" Squall took out his gun blade and prepared to attack the GF.

"Hey, hey!" Rikku stepped in front of Squall and pushed him lightly. "I'm not going to let you have this GF for yourself you know! Plus, this is my trial!" Rikku took out her daggers, and dashed towards the GF. The GF swung its staff and Rikku managed to evade, but it was a near miss.

"You should have listened to your friend, young one. You do not possess the ability to defeat me." said Belias.

"We'll see about that!" Rikku moved quickly behind the GF, striking it with two successive slashes, the GF was hit, but it didn't seem to affect him at all.

"Rikku, stop it! You're no match for him!" shouted Squall, as he made a move towards the GF.

"Squall, if you move from where you are, I won't speak to you again!" said Rikku, continuously attacking the GF. Squall stopped in his tracks, Rikku wasn't really serious about that right? Wait! What did he care if she wouldn't speak to him again? But still, he couldn't move, he knew that he should, but he still couldn't.. Damn, was he really getting soft?

After failed consecutive attacks on the GF, Rikku was beginning to feel tired, her broken arm was hurting more and more, she could barely lift her arm, but still, she launched for another attack on the GF, and she hit the torso, the GF stumbled, and backed away.

"Firaga!" The most powerful fire magic was cast by the GF and Rikku was the target. The Firaga magic had hit her, and her form was surrounded by flames.

"Rikku!" Squall made a move towards her, but stopped when he saw Rikku was then surrounded by a green barrier. Rikku was able to cast a reflect magic on herself just before she was hit by the Firaga spell. The magic then rebounded on Belias, but he just absorbed it.

"That is enough…" said Belias… "I can see the determination on your eyes, you have passed the test…"

"Test?"

"My power is yours to use." Belias' body was surrounded by flames, as he disappeared from sight. Rikku's knees gave out, and she fell to the ground, exhausted. Squall rushed to her side and helped her on her feet.

"Yeah! I did it! I'm awesome!" Rikku was jumping up and down in excitement, but stumbled when her knees gave out again. Squall caught her in time. "Thanks…" she told him, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"We better go back to Seifer." said Squall.

"Yup! Hey Squall, Thanks for not interfering with the fight… Makes me think that you trust in my abilities…"

"It was nothing."

"Oh and its like, the third time you've helped me up, Squall. Thank you…Didn't think you had it in you to help me out that many times…" said Rikku, smiling at him.

"Honestly? I didn't think I had it in me too."

**a/n: next chapter will be the SeeD exams, Yey! Reviews, as always, are highly appreciated! **


	6. Chapter 6: SeeD Exams

**a/n: two updates in two days? wow! but this chapter was originally part of the last one, so it doesn't really count... sorry, ignore me! here goes!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: SeeD Exams**

The SeeD exams was the year's most highly anticipated event, The anticipation it garnered was almost neck to neck with the Garden Festival. The exams were happening later this afternoon. Every hang out at the Garden was full of anxious SeeD examinees, some were reading notes, the others were practicing with their weapons, some were nervous eating, some were just staring into space, while others were walking around the Garden nervously back and forth. Rikku Bennet, was part of the latter. She couldn't stop herself from pacing back and forth at the Quad. She wanted to clear her mind, she was really nervous. She wanted to make SeeD in her first try, she wanted to prove her Dad that transferring to Balamb was not a bad idea. Becoming a SeeD was something she and her best friend Hailey had dreamt of since they were children. But still, she couldn't believe that this was it. She was really freaking out, she needed to calm down.

"Rikku!" called a voice from behind her, but Rikku didn't seem to hear, she was so lost in thought, thinking about the possible outcomes of the exams. "Hey, Rikku!" called the voice again. And it was only when the person calling her sneaked behind her and spoke directly into her ear that she had snapped out of her thoughts.

"Oh, hey Selphie." she greeted the bubbly SeeD. Classes were always canceled when it was the SeeD exams.

"I called you, like three times!" said Selphie "You okay?"

"No…" she answered truthfully. "My heart's beating so fast, I fear it might pop out or something!" said Rikku, as she settled down on the nearest bench and clenched at her chest. Selphie settled next to her.

"You need to calm down… I hear you did great at the cavern yesterday, think of the exams as just a continuation of yesterdays' trials…" said Selphie, trying to calm her younger, blonde friend.

"Y-yeah… Just a continuation…" she said the words over and over in her head, like a mantra. Selphie patted her on the shoulder.

"You'll do great! I remember back in Trabia, you were never the type to back down from a fight, no matter how hard it was… And I heard when the missiles hit the Garden, you were one of the students who rushed to save the junior classmen! You'll be fine!" Selphie and Rikku knew each other in Trabia, they had the same group of friends, but they weren't that close then.

"Yeah but… what does saving the junior classmen have anything to do with today's SeeD exams?"

"Ooops! Forget I said that, Squall's going to kill me. Anyway, just remember how you felt when you where saving those juniors back in Trabia, it'll come in handy later!" said Selphie, smiling at her. "Hey it's almost lunch soon, want to get something to eat?"

"I don't feel like eating anything…"

"Oh come on! You can't fight with an empty stomach!" Selphie stood up and grabbed Rikku's left arm and dragged her all the way to the cafeteria. For someone who was only 5'1, Selphie sure was strong. The cafeteria, was full as always. The long line for the hotdogs still reached the cafeteria's entrance. A familiar spikey blond was falling in line for hotdogs.

"Zell! Can you get hotdogs for us too?" Selphie shouted, they were at least 10 meters away from Zell, but with the cafeteria being too full of people, shouting was the only way to go.

Zell turned around and saw the two. "Sure thing!" he shouted back, as he pointed to their usual table. Zell's girlfriend the library girl, was sitting at their usual table. Selphie dragged the still nervous Rikku towards their table.

"Hi Shizuka!" greeted Selphie as she pushed Rikku down unto a seat, and sat next to her.

"Hi Selphie, Rikku." Shizuka greeted back, looking up from the book she was reading. Rikku could only nod in acknowledgment. "What's wrong with her?" asked Shizuka.

"Nervous. Rikku! Get a grip already!" Selphie pinched Rikku's arm, and that, she did feel.

"Owie! No need to pinch, Selphie!" Rikku rubbed her arm.

"Isn't Seifer taking the test too? Where is he?" Shizuka asked Rikku.

"I dunno… Haven't seen him all morning…" said Rikku, as she sighed, Where was he? It had only been a day since she had last seen him, but already she misses him. She was sure Seifer's presence would help calm her nerves.

"I bet Seify's nervous too… This is a do or die situation for him…" said Selphie

"What do you mean?"

"This is his last SeeD exam, if he fails this one again, it's goodbye Balamb Garden for him!"

"What? Why?" asked Rikku.

"Well… I'm sure you've heard about the stuff Seifer did when he was under Ultimecia's control… There were a lot of Garden officials who were against his readmission. The Garden officials then came up with an ultimatum for him…" explained Selphie.

"But that's just unfair… He was being controlled, it's not like he wanted to do that stuff…"

"That's what Edea and Cid told the officials, even Squall vouched for Seifer, but their combined efforts can only do so much, in the end, the Headmaster, Edea, and Squall could only agree with the ultimatum. That's why Seifer took all of his classes again, he had to pass this exam no matter what." said Selphie. So that's why he got held back a year… he didn't want to leave the Garden, it had been his home for years, he was so determined to make it to SeeD.

"But I'm sure Seifer will make it this time! He's been preparing for this nonstop, he's really focused and he has really learned from his mistakes." said Rikku. She was, after all, witness to all of Seifer's struggles in his studies.

"Yeah!" Selphie and Shizuka both agreed. Zell had arrived then, and placed the tray at the center of the table and sat next to his girlfriend. He took three hotdogs from the tray, and started unwrapping them.

"Hungry much, Zell?" teased Selphie. Reaching out for a hotdog as she gave one to Rikku.

"I was assigned to be on stand-by for the exams later. And you know we're not allowed to bring food, so I'm having a loaded lunch!" said Zell, as he started consuming a hotdog. SeeDs were assigned to be on stand-by during the exams, in case complications arose during the exam.

"I wish I could be there too… But Irvy's taking the instructor exams today, I wanna be here when he finishes!"

Zell and Selphie then started sharing stories about their SeeD exam two years ago, Rikku wasn't really paying attention. She couldn't think about anything else…She wanted to pass her exams so bad, but Seifer was all she could think of. She had promised herself, that if she had managed to pass her SeeD exams, she would tell Seifer how she felt about him…

* * *

Participants for the SeeD exams were to proceed to Balamb town, where they would be riding a vessel that would take them to Timber, and transport cars would then be taking them to Winhill, the location for today's exams. Seifer arrived at Balamb port, ten minutes earlier. He made his way to the port's waiting area and sat there to wait until they had to board the vessel. He looked around the waiting area, he wasn't the first there, there were several students anxiously waiting too. A few minutes passed, he felt his pockets vibrate. He took out his mobile phone and read the new message… He couldn't help but smile when he read who it was from. _"I believe in you…" _the message read. Those simple words, that was all he needed to hear, that someone believed in him…

"Seifer!" a voice called him, it was Rikku, she was waving at him. Seifer stood up, and went towards the blonde.

"Ready?' he asked her, she nodded. An instructor then motioned for the students to gather and form a line. When they had all gathered, the commander, who had just arrived at the port area in his SeeD uniform, then stood in front. The students saluted the commander as he saluted back.

"For today's SeeD exam, you will be divided into six teams. Squad A to F. The squad assignments will be announced by your respective Instructors upon arriving in Timber, and you will be briefed about the mission on the way to Winhill. Remember that…"

"What's Squall doing here?" Rikku asked Seifer in a whisper.

"He's the SeeD commander…" he whispered back.

" I know that, but why is the commander here?"

"It's the commander's job to watch over the SeeD exams, after all, he gets to decide who passes…"

"Really? Good for us then, since he's our friend!"

"He's not really biased, when it comes to these things, and he's not the only one who get's to decide who passes, he's just part of the people who evaluates the examinees." Squall had then finished talking, and was now being led by a couple of SeeDs into a vessel. Zell was with him. When Zell caught a glimpse of both Seifer and Rikku, he gave them both a thumbs up as he followed after Squall. The examinees also got into their respective vessels. The trip on the way to Timber was uneventful, the students were all quiet, nobody dared to talk, or rather, they were all too nervous to start talking amongst themselves. When they got to Timber, they were lead by the instructors to the transport cars. They were greeted by Zell, who was also in his SeeD uniform.

"Hey guys! I was assigned to Squad D!" said Zell.

"…and you're teling us this because..?" began Seifer.

"Because you're part of Squad D! Here's the list." Zell handed Seifer the list of SeeD examinees and their Squad assignments and SeeD in charge. True enough, he found his name under Squad D, and Rikku's as well.

"We're in the same squad! Lucky!" Rikku told Seifer, punching him playfully in the arm. Seifer gave her a small smile.

"I'm part of Squad D too…" said a short boy with short brown hair and glasses who came up behind them.

"Hey Evan! Guys this is Evan Masters, Xu's younger brother.." said Zell. Rikku noticed that if you did look closely at the boy, he did resemble Xu. Rikku and Seifer shook hands with him. Zell lead them to one of the cars and they all slid inside. They sat surrounding the briefing screen.

"Now for the briefing.." Zell cleared his throat as he took out a small remote and pressed a button. The screen lit up and showed a map of the town. "Bandits have appeared in Winhill, they had scavenged the small town's goods, and they have built a headquarters of their own located at the center of the town. Since the town mostly contains Senior citizens, women, and children, the town had surrendered to the Bandits. Most of the civilians had escaped to Timber but some of the women and children were taken hostage by the bandits and are being held captive at their headquarters. Squad D's mission is to sneak into the headquarters and rescue the captives. Your priority for this mission is the safety of the captives. But if confrontation with the Bandits is unavoidable, you have permission to engage them." When Zell said this, he looked at Seifer, who only nodded. "Should you need assistance, cast a fire spell into the sky and a SeeD will come running. Questions?" When no one raised their hands, Zell continued. "Okay then, Best of Luck to you!"

* * *

"How long before it starts?" Squall asked the SeeD in front of him.

"Ten minutes, Sir." Squall and three other SeeDs had set up a small tent, that acted like the command center, situated in the outskirts of Winhill. There where screens set up, and these screens would later show what each of the Squads were doing.

He stood up from where he was sitting and took an earpiece from the table. "Inform me when the exam starts.." said Squall, sliding the earpiece into his ear as he started walking towards the town. He really shouldn't be walking around like this, what with the exams starting soon, but it was rare that he came to Winhill, this was the only chance he had. The town was eerily quiet when he got there, The houses were all closed, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of chirping birds. It sounded too peaceful amidst the fact that Bandits had come to the town. Making sure that no one was following him, he walked faster, towards the edge of town, towards the green fields of Winhill, and there, he found what he was looking for. He knelt down in front of it. He saw white flowers growing near it… He picked some flowers and laid it on top of the tombstone as he let his hands graze the engraved name.

* * *

"The mission starts in 1400 hours?" asked Rikku, as she looked at her watch… "Three more minutes to go!" she squealed.

"Rikku, calm down… You'll be fine. I'm your Squad leader after all!" said Seifer.

"That's what I'm worried about, actually…" said Evan, he was swinging around his weapon, A pole, to warm-up.

"You don't like me too, huh?" he asked the bespectacled boy.

"Well you have to consider the fact that I don't really know you, and the only stories I've heard about you all came from my sister…" said Evan. Seifer couldn't really blame the kid, Xu hated him with a passion.

"Your sister's just jealous, she still can't get over it…"

"Can't get over what?" interrupted Rikku. When neither Seifer nor Evan answered her, she sighed. "Fine, I know when I'm out of line…"

"Get ready, it's almost time." said Seifer, and after a couple of seconds, the alarm on Rikku's watch went off. "Let's go.." Seifer, followed by Evan and Rikku, went towards the direction of the Headquarters. When they had entered the town, they proceeded to the Town Square, but they were met by Bandits, who came out of the supposedly empty houses. They were surrounded by at least thirty Bandits.

"It's like they were expecting us…" said Evan

"Rikku, take those three on your left, Evan you take the two behind us, I'll take down the bandits in front." Seifer ordered. The two Squad D members took out their weapons, and dashed towards their respective opponents.

"This is the help the townspeople called for? They're just a bunch of kids." said the Bandit in front, By the way he spoke, he sounded like he was the leader. Seifer made a move to attack the Bandits, but the Leader held out a hand to stop him.

"Look kid, I'm not in the mood to fight with Children, now go take your toy sword with you and get out of my town!"

"Your town? Yeah right… Sorry but I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be a SeeD no matter what!" Seifer held Hyperion with both hands, and dashed towards the enemy.

* * *

"Squad A and B has managed to secure the Plaza, Sir, and Squad B and E are currently in battle with the bandits just outside their Headquarters." said one of the SeeD who was with Squall in the command center. Squall was watching the screens, the squads were really having a hard time keeping the bandits at bay. There were too many of them. How the hell did these bandits know that SeeDs were coming? The Bandits had really prepared for them.

"Tell Squad A and B to retreat, their work is done, Send Zell and two other SeeDs to help Squad B and E with the bandits, they're going to die out there. Squad C is struggling on their end too, tell them to secure the back entrance to town instead, do not let a single Bandit escape. What about Squad D?"

"Sir, Squad D was ambushed by the Bandits in the town square." the SeeD pointed out to the screen. Squall saw that they were outnumbered too, but several bodies were already knocked out cold on the ground. Evan Masters had bruises here and there, Rikku was almost limping, and Seifer was in battle with three bandits. The SeeD then focused Squad D's screen to one of the Bandits Seifer was fighting, he was a rather large bearded man, he was wearing something that resembled a Galbadian officer's uniform, but the clothes he was wearing were really tattered, they really couldn't tell.

"This man seems to be their leader.." the SeeD informed him. The sound was then cut off.

"What happened?" asked Squall, as the SeeD fumbled with the controls.

"The sound on our cameras had been cut!" Squall then noticed Seifer, he was shouting something at Rikku, and Rikku was shouting back at him. Seifer then dashed towards the leader, and the transmission was suddenly cut.

"I'm going down there…" Squall told the SeeDs, " Keep me on the line, I'll give the order to retreat. The SeeD nodded at him as he took off running, making his way to the town square. He had to run faster if he wanted to make it in time.

"Haste" he muttered under his breath, as he gained speed. He saw the town square from a distance, he was almost there. But halfway through, he came face to face with Rikku, who was dragging an injured Evan with her.

"Rikku!" Squall called, stopping in front of the two.

"Squall! Help Seifer please!" she told him, she was panicking.

"What happened?" he asked

"Seifer told us to go ahead and rescue the civilians, he said he would take care of the bandits in the town square.. I tried to stop him, there were too many of them, But then he summoned a GF and the GF blew us away and we ended up here…

"Pandemona…" Squall then pressed the button on his earpiece. " It's me, Send SeeDs to rescue the civilians in the headquarters, and after that, order all the Squads to retreat!" he shouted into his earpiece. "Both of you stay here and wait for the SeeDs, help them rescue the civilians." Squall patted Rikku's shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"_You did great."_

When Squall got to the Town Square, it was pretty chaotic, several Bandits lay on the ground, unmoving, there were cracks on the ground, and some of the houses were damaged. The battle seemed to be over. Squall saw a familiar blonde, kneeling on the ground just a few steps away from where he was.

"You really like to show off don't you?" Squall said. Seifer turned around, saw him and smirked at him.

"That's just my style…" as he used Hyperion to help himself stand.

"You look like you're about to drop dead…"

"Bite me, Commander."

* * *

"I heard the leader of the Bandits was a former Galbadian official…"

"Yeah I heard that too… Where do you think they took him?"

"The commander turned over the Leader to the Galbadian Army… I bet they're going to send him to D-District…" Rikku was listening in on two members from Squad A who were chatting a few meters away from where she was. Rikku was leaning on the wall in the second floor corridor where they were told to wait for the results. She was rubbing her still broken right arm, The fighting earlier had made it worst. She feared that it might have had an effect on her exams… She shrugged the thought away, she should be thinking positively… Her thoughts were interrupted when Evan approached her.

"Where's Almasy?" he asked.

"He's at the Infirmary, he had a lot of cuts and bruises, but it wasn't anything serious…" she said. "How about you?" she asked, inquiring about the injuries he had incurred during the exams.

"I'm fine, just a few scratches here and there…" Just then, Two Garden faculty members came walking down the corridor.

"When I call your name, proceed to the third floor briefing room… Thomas, Cain, Smith, Masters, and Bennet.."

She couldn't believe it… She finally made it, years of hard work had paid off, she was now a SeeD. She wanted to jump up and down in joy, but maybe she would just do it later, in her dorm. Rikku followed the other examinees who had passed, and they waited for the Headmaster in the briefing room. She felt someone tap her in the shoulder, and turned around to see Seifer.

"Congratulations."

"Seifer! Are you okay?" she asked him, looking worriedly at his injuries.

"I've never been better."

"Don't do that again, okay? I was really worried!" she told him. Seifer grinned at her.

"It would take more than just Bandits to take me down…"

The headmaster had then arrived, congratulated them and started talking about the duties and responsibilities that came with being a SeeD, then it was time for the Headmaster's individual reports. When it was Rikku's turn, the headmaster had told her that she should always remember to follow her instincts… When the Headmaster got to Seifer, he smiled at him and put both of his hands on his shoulders.

"Edea and I are so proud of you, a SeeD finally" and with that, the new SeeDs' debriefing had concluded. On their way back to the Dormitories to get changed, Seifer turned to face Rikku.

"Thanks Rikku, couldn't have done it without you… I'll see you at the party!" Seifer waved at her, and proceeded to his room. Rikku ran as fast as she could towards her room. She had to look pretty for the party tonight, she was going to tell Seifer her feelings.

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**a/n: next chapter: SeeD party! **

**Thanks to those who reviewed! Sure made my day! I'll try to update within the week! keep your fingers crossed**!


	7. Chapter 7: Inauguration Ball

**Chapter 7: Inauguration Ball**

After taking a quick shower, Squall changed into his SeeD uniform, a different one, since the one he was wearing earlier got a bit dirty. He was pleased with the results of this year's SeeD exams, out of the 18 participants, 10 had passed. It was a change from the usual 30% passing rate, and add the fact that one of them was Seifer. He didn't want to admit it to anyone, but he was actually glad that he had finally made it to SeeD, he was a great asset to the force. And at least now, Balamb had two SeeDs specializing in the gun blade.

The annual inauguration party for the new SeeDs and instructors were about to start. He had to be there on time, it was customary for the SeeD commander and other high ranking SeeD officials to open the party with a dance. That was easier said than done, he wasn't really into dancing, the thought of dancing in front of other people made him shudder, but its not like he had a choice. Life can be so unfair sometimes. Luckily, Selphie had agreed to be his partner for the opening dance.

After making sure he looked presentable enough, and not a single hair was out of place, he grabbed his coat and left his room. Walking through the corridors of the Dormitories while making his way to the Ballroom, he spotted Irvine, dressed in his SeeD uniform, and appeared to be waiting for someone at the Dorm's entrance. Irvine noticed Squall approaching.

"Hey man! Looking good!" he told the young commander.

"Congratulations, Instructor Kinneas…" said Squall, as he extended his hand to Irvine. Irvine shook his hand.

"Thanks…" he said, slightly embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head.

"2nd Place in this year's exams. Not bad…"

"Nah… It was nothing. But I guess I owe it all to you guys, you were all very supportive!"

"We always knew you could do it." Squall said. Irvine may appear as quite the ladies' man, but he also had a serious side to him, and that's what probably lead to him becoming an Instructor just a year after becoming a SeeD.

"Aww geez Squall, you're embarrassing me!"

"Are you waiting for Selphie?" Squall asked.

"Yeah… She told me that you asked her to be your partner for the opening dance…" said Irvine.

"I hope you don't mind… I didn't have anyone else to ask." Squall managed to say. And truth be told, he really didn't have anyone else to ask. He only had four female friends, five maybe. If you add the pesky blonde addition to SeeD. Last month, when he thought of the Inauguration party, he had considered asking Quistis, but he had to ask someone else when Quistis was sent to Galbadia. Selphie was the next best option, since he couldn't possibly ask Zell's girlfriend Shizuka, she was too shy and quiet, and she and Squall weren't really that friendly. Squall only considered her a friend since she was Zell's girlfriend. And he would rather go alone and face Cid's wrath than ask Xu to be his partner, Xu had been a little rough to him these past couple of months, she was always trying to pick fights with him, and scolded him everyday, even when he wasn't really doing anything. Was she really just stressed or did Xu harbor hatred for him? He could ask Rikku… but Rikku was still Rikku, enough said.

"I don't mind.. But I kinda got the feeling that you were going to ask… Nevermind." said Irvine, grinning at him. Squall raised an eyebrow in question.

"What?" he asked. Irvine didn't answer him, and the cowboy looked away from him and started laughing. He was about to question further, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hi!" It was Selphie. She looked pretty, wearing a yellow tube dress that stopped just below her knees, and matching yellow stilettos. Her short hair was styled the same as usual, with the slight addition of hairpins.

"You look good, Selphie." He had learned, over time, that compliments were supposed to be given to friends from time to time, to show how much he appreciated them. And also, Selphie really did look good.

"Thanks Squall! You look good too, as always!" Selphie then moved towards Irvine. "Irvy!" She hastily jumped into Irvine's arms and held unto him, Irvine then wrapped his arms around his beaming girlfriend. After breaking the hug, Selphie took hold of the new instructor's hand.

"I'm so lucky! I have two good-looking guys as my date! Shall we?" Irvine and Squall both nodded at her. Selphie offered her other arm to Squall, which he willingly took and the three headed to the ballroom.

Selphie's Garden Festival Committee, who also happened to be in charge of the preparations for this year's inauguration ball, had outdone themselves once again. The ballroom was decorated exquisitely, everyone thought it was perfect. The Ballroom started to fill with SeeDs and Instructors alike, talking casually amongst themselves and just having a good time. Even Xu, who was usually uptight and stressed these days, was chatting and laughing along with her boyfriend, Nida. When Selphie, Irvine and Squall got to the ballroom, they were quickly pulled away by Elena, a female SeeD who was Selphie's assistant in the committee.

"Selphie! Thank goodness! We need your help!" said Elena.

"Why? What happened?"" Selphie asked.

"The SeeD who was supposed to be the Host for tonight can't make it, he has sore throat… We need you to take his place!" Elena pleaded.

"Of all the days to get a sore throat! Fine I'll do it!" said Selphie, Squall was about to open his mouth to speak, when Selphie beat him to it. "Sorry Squall, looks like I can't be your partner… Elena, Let's go!" Elena and Selphie, made a run for it and headed to the preparation room.

"Selphie wait!" called Squall, but Selphie was already across the room. "What the hell am I going to do about the dance...?" He looked at Irvine, who shrugged.

"We'll just have to find someone else." The two looked around the ballroom for potential dance partners for Squall. Squall spotted Shizuka, talking with Zell near the Ballroom's Balcony. The two, upon noticing that Squall and Irvine were looking at them from across the room, stopped talking and made their way towards them. Shizuka was dressed in a plain pale blue short dress, while Zell was in his SeeD uniform.

"Hey guys! Irvine! Congrats, man!" Zell patted the Taller man, as he turned his attention to Squall. "What's up?" Zell noticed Squall, staring at him.

"I was wondering If Shizuka could be my partner for the opening dance?" said Squall, Shizuka blushed at the commander's directness.

"Sorry man… I'm part of the opening dance too. I'm a Rank A SeeD too, remember?" Right, how easily he had forgotten about that.

"How about Xu?" Irvine suggested. Pointing at the spot where Xu was talking with Nida. Squall shook his head in protest.

"How about no… Xu's been annoyed and pissed at me lately, I don't want to be anywhere near her." He shuddered at the thought of dancing with Xu. Zell and Shizuka then excused themselves from the two, and walked across the ballroom to where the SeeDs part of the opening dance were supposed to wait.

"Jenna." said Irvine.

"No way in hell." Squall said, looking at Irvine as if he had just said something crazy.

"I mean, Jenna and her lackeys are coming." said Irvine. And true enough, when Squall turned around, Jenna Cameron was walking, with her posse behind her, towards him.

"Hi Squall." Jenna greeted Squall nodded, and turned away from Jenna, towards Irvine. _"Help." _he mumbled. Irvine contained himself from laughing. Irvine excused himself, and came up with an excuse.. Something about Selphie needing his help. Irvine winked at the Commander as he dashed out of sight. He'd have to remind himself to beat Irvine to a bloody pulp later.

Jenna Cameron freaked him out. He knew about her obsession towards him, how she keeps a picture of him and hides it under her pillow and doing hyne knows what to the said picture. How she was able to take a picture of him in the first place, he didn't know. Stalkers had their ways, that was a universally accepted and frightening truth.

"So Squall, I was wondering if…" Oh Hyne, was she really going to go through this again? Jenna had asked him out, numerous times, and he had flat-out refused her every time. Wasn't that hint enough that he didn't like her that way? She was too damn persistent, and crazy, and persistent, oh and crazy.

"…I got front row tickets you see, and I know you like listening to them…" Jenna continued. How in the world did she even know that he listened to that band? Did she have a tracking device on him, or something? He had asked his friends for advice on how to deal with the Stalker. Zell and Irvine insisted that Squall just go for it, she may be crazy but she was still hot. Selphie and Shizuka had then smacked their boyfriends on the head and suggested he should ask for help from his father and ask for his secret service agents to deal with the obsessed Stalker. He didn't want to go THAT far for something so annoyingly trivial. He had then asked Quistis, who was used to dealing with stalkers for she herself had a number of crazy devotees. Quistis told him he should just ignore her, like what she herself does with her stalkers. They're bound to back off, eventually. He had been doing that, ignoring the girl for as long as he can remember, but she couldn't seem to take the hint. Maybe he should just do what Seifer had suggested. Threaten the girl and instill fear in her. That would surely get her off him. That would be really nice… but he couldn't possibly do that, sometimes he wished he wasn't the commander.

"Look Jenna…" Squall interrupted her. "You and me, it's never going to happen." Squall told her, his voice emotionless and colder than usual. That should be enough to keep the girl away from him for the rest of the night. Squall left the stalker girl in shock, and quickly ran, away from her. While running, he constantly looked behind, to see if Jenna was following her, and true enough, she was running after him. He managed to squeeze himself and sneak around the ballroom, which was now almost full. He headed for the door, deciding to ditch the Ball altogether. He would just put up with Cid for not attending. Squall stopped on his tracks when he felt someone grabbed his arm.

"Commander! Where do you think you're going!" It was Cid, who had grabbed him.

"Bathroom" he lied. He really had terrible luck.

"You better hurry then, the dance is about to start. Where is your partner?" Cid asked.

Squall pointed to a random direction and muttered, "Over there"

Cid glanced at the direction he was pointing, and saw 2 girls, chatting. "Which one?" he inquired. Squall looked at the direction of the girls, one had short black hair, while the other had long wavy blonde hair that seemed familiar… Wait, wasn't that…?

"Rikku!" Squall called. Rikku turned at the mention of her name. Squall was suddenly in front of her. She was about to say 'what?' when unexpectedly, he took her left hand in his. Rikku's eyes widened in surprise, and utter shock. "S-squall? What the hell?!" Squall tugged at her hand and led her back to where the Headmaster was.

"She's my partner." said Squall. Rikku turned from utterly shocked, to downright confused.

Cid looked at Rikku for a moment, then turned to Squall and smiled at him. "I see. You better get going then!" The headmaster urged. Squall quickly dragged Rikku away from the headmaster. His hand still on hers. When they were out of the headmaster's sight, Squall let go of her hand.

Fuming, Rikku glared at Squall, and fixed her slightly disheveled hair. Squall had dragged her around so roughly. "Care to explain?"

"I need a partner for the opening dance, and there's no one else I can ask." Squall spoke in a hurried voice. Rikku cocked her head, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Is the almighty SeeD commander asking me for a favor?!" said Rikku, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"It's not a favor, It's an order."

" An order? Right…" Sarcasm in her voice.

"I am your superior…"

"I know that." she retorted.

"Then you should just obey." he told her in the most intimidating voice he could muster.

"What, is this my first mission as a SeeD?" she said. Not backing down from his intimidating voice. When Squall didn't snap back at her, she continued. "But I don't dance. Not the waltz, at least."

"I'll lead you."

"But I'm in my SeeD uniform."

"It doesn't matter."

"But…"

"Will you please just shut up and dance with me?" Squall finally said, his voice growing impatient, and the vein on his forehead twitching in displeasure.

"Fine…" she replied. "But only if you give me back my PSP." she quipped.

If that was all it took then… He didn't have to hesitate. "Deal." and they shook hands.

* * *

When the new host Selphie took the stage and welcomed everyone to the Ball, the opening dance begun. Rank A SeeDs along with their dance partners entered the Ballroom, one pair at a time and the crowd applauded. Both Rikku and Squall seemed uncomfortable, holding the other's hand and refusing to look at each other, as they too, entered the ballroom. Any girl in the Garden would have liked to trade places with her now, being asked to dance by the young, hot, brooding commander. But hell, she was the one who wanted to trade places. She wasn't really desperate to get her game back, but the look of desperation in Squall's face earlier tugged at something within her. Was it pity? No, maybe not, but she and Squall were supposed to be friends and friends do favors for each other, right?

The song then started to play, and Squall, not bothering to look straight at her, slid his arm around her waist, while the other kept their hold on her other hand, he lead her to the dance floor. He tried to avoid Rikku's gaze as much as possible, it was embarrassing enough, dancing with her like this. Rikku did the same, looking the other way around. This was the first time he had ever gotten this close to her… and it was only in this proximity that Squall realized, that Rikku was actually quite pretty. Her long and wavy blond hair, was let down, and flowed freely on her back. Rikku always had her hair up in regular days, but this was only the second time he saw her with her hair down. (the first time being when they crashed into each other at the cafeteria).

They started dancing, with Squall leading her, and boy, she wasn't kidding when she said she couldn't dance. She had her eyes on her feet and was dragging her feet to match Squall's pace and ended up stepping on his foot numerous times. Squall ignored it at first, but his feet started to hurt.

"Are my feet really that fun to step on?" Squall said, still not meeting her face.

"Don't complain. I told you I couldn't dance." she said.

"But you could at least try to avoid my feet." he said. Rikku stuck her tongue out at him.

As the song continued, Rikku was gradually beginning to pick up on the steps, and she eventually managed not to step on his foot. Squall had been internally debating with himself if he should say something, Rikku was unusually quiet, and seemed really nervous, and it wasn't because she was dancing with him.

"You look nervous." Squall was thinking of the question in his head, but he accidentally let it slip.

"N-no I'm not!" she defended herself, but it she only sounded guilty. Realizing this, she sighed and answered. "Yeah I am… How did you know?"

"Your palms are sweaty." said Squall. Rikku took her hand off his, and placed her hand on Squall's chest instead. Squall was stupefied for a moment when he realized what she was actually doing... she was wiping off the sweat on her palm in his uniform. Squall chose to ignore what she had just done. Cid was still watching, after all.

"That's what you get for being such a meanie…" Rikku smirked at him as. Squall ignored her again as he took her hand again and they continued dancing. When Squall saw Irvine's face in the audience, he was giving him the thumbs up. What did that mean anyway?

"So why are you nervous?" Squall asked her, trying to block out the image of Irvine giving him the thumbs up.

"Well… I can't tell you! It's too embarrassing!" she replied, and Squall didn't press on the issue further. Must be a girl thing.

At the last part of the song, they were fully in synch, and it amazed him how easily she could pick up the steps. Every turn, twirl and twist was perfect, like they had practiced the dance. When the song came into and end, the spectators applauded. With a few exceptions from the Squall devotees, who only glared at Rikku and muttered curses under their breath. Squall let his hands drop at his side, and turned to say thanks to Rikku, and it was the first time that night, that their eyes had met. His cerulean eyes, met with her emerald ones. And it was only then that Squall had noticed for the first time, the beauty of the color of her eyes. The green reminded him of an infinite field of grass, there was so much depth in her eyes. He was lost staring into her eyes, that he had forgotten what it was he was about to say. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither spoke a word or seemed to budged from where they were standing. Their moment was finally cut short by Seifer, who appeared behind Rikku.

"Do you mind if I cut in, commander?" Seifer told Squall, as the latter finally snapped out of his daze. Squall muttered a quick thanks to Rikku, as he walked away from them towards nowhere in particular, wondering what it was that he felt, when he looked straight into her eyes.

* * *

"You should know that I'm not a very good dancer…" Rikku repeated again, but this time, to Seifer.

"I was watching you dance with Squall earlier, and it wasn't that bad. I'd just have to look after my feet." said Seifer. The ex sorceress knight, held out his hand and bowed to her, in a very gentlemanly and classic manner. Rikku couldn't help but blush as she took his hand and Seifer lead her back to the dance floor. The song this time, was slower and more mellow than the song she had danced to with Squall.

"Oh that's right! I haven't congratulated you yet! Congratulations!" said Rikku, beaming at him.

"Thanks. It was all because of those study groups we did that I was able to pass. I owe you, Rikku." said Seifer.

"Nonsense! You passed because of your own ability! Hey isn't this great? A few days from now, we may be sent on our first mission!" she spoke more enthusiastic than usual, and it was to hide the fact that she was actually quite nervous. Tonight was THE night.

"I'm looking forward more to my first salary… Now I don't have to do that part-time job anymore." said Seifer. Seifer had asked permission from the Headmaster to allow him to get a part-time job, to support himself since there was a Garden rule that states that a student who has failed the SeeD exam for more than five times will no longer be supported by the Garden.

"Aw… I wanted to see you working!" said Rikku. It surprised her that she was still able to talk to him, Her mind was full of thoughts at this moment, thoughts of how to tell Seifer and thoughts of…

"I'll take you there sometime, when you're old enough." Seifer teased. Seifer had been working as a bartender in a Bar at Balamb.

"You know, I've never been to a Bar before… Better keep your promise, because I'm turning 18 in a few months!" she managed to say, but she was pretty much still in deep thought. Should he ask him to get fresh air at the Ballroom's Balcony? Or drag him to a quiet corner?

"Sure, sure." Seifer smiled. The two new SeeDs continued dancing, or rather, Seifer continued to drag Rikku around, she wasn't really paying attention to the steps. She was still thinking. Thinking, thinking, thinking. Finally, she stopped thinking and thought, _"Oh what the hell I'll just tell him here." _

"Seifer, I…" her words were cut short when the song had ended and Seifer had let go of her.

"Want to get something to drink?" Seifer asked her. And she could only nod along in response and follow behind him to the refreshments, disappointed by her failure. Seifer handed her champagne, and she took it, draining the contents of the glass in one gulp.

"Thirsty?' said Seifer.

"A little bit." Seifer took another glass of champagne and offered it to her. And this time, she drank slower.

"Seifer?'

"Yeah?" he asked, as he turned his eyes away from the dancing and looked at her. Rikku swallowed hard, before she spoke.

"Well uh…" she began shakily and continued. "You see I… need to tell you something!" was what she managed to say.

"Yeah, Go on." He urged.

"You see… I…"

"Rikku!" she was interrupted, this time by her best friend Hailey calling her.

"Hail? What's up?" Hailey shoved a cell phone into Rikku's hand.

"Your Dad had been calling you, but you forgot your phone, so he called me instead. He's on the line!" Rikku covered the mouthpiece with her hand as she turned to Seifer.

"I'll tell you later. Wait for me okay?" She told him. Seifer nodded and she quickly dashed out of the ballroom to answer the call.

* * *

After what seemed like ages on the phone, Her Dad finally hung up. Her father had been so against her transferring to Balamb, but when he had found out that Rikku passed the SeeD exam, he was ecstatic. He had beamed at her daughter on the phone, and the call lasted for an hour and a half… She felt exhausted. She glanced at her watch, It was already 10:00 in the evening. She still had two hours left to find Seifer and tell him once and for all. She made her way back to the Ballroom, and when she got there, the place was becoming louder and louder. A band had replaced the orchestra and was now playing more modern songs. She looked around at the ballroom in search of Seifer. He was no longer where she had left him. Probably got bored waiting. She continued to look around the Ballroom, occasionally running into some of her classmates and got into conversations with them. After a couple of minutes in search of the tall blonde SeeD, she finally managed to find him. He was leaning on the Balcony's railing alone, a drink on his hand as he stared at the view. Smiling, she started to walk towards the Balcony. Finally this was it, the moment she was waiting for. A few steps away from the Balcony, she saw Seifer stood straight, and looked away from the view. Someone had called his attention, and he turned to face that person. She couldn't see who it was who called Seifer. She continued walking towards the Balcony and hid behind the thick post, at the entrance of the Balcony, to eavesdrop. Eavesdropping was not in her nature, but this was Seifer and she was really curious, Besides, she had been spending too much time with him and she knew for a fact that Seifer didn't have other friends and that got her curious.

"Congratulations, Mr. Almasy" the voice who had called him spoke. The voice was unmistakably female.

"Why, Thank You, My dear Instructor…"Seifer left his drink on the railing and walked slowly towards the source of the other voice. Rikku moved closer to see who it was. The person was someone she had never seen before, because if she had, surely she would remember because she stood out. The woman was astonishingly beautiful, like a princess who had come from a fairytale. Her long, straight, flaxen hair flowed freely from her shoulders and was swaying with the gust of wind. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. She was truly beautiful.

"Got my text?" the woman asked him. Seifer smiled, a true genuine, and unhindered smile, one that Rikku has never seen him do before.

"I did. It gave me strength in battle." said Seifer. He was now standing in front of the woman, a foot away from her.

"I'm glad… Finally…" The woman smiled back at him. Seifer closed the distance between them as he wrapped her arms around the woman, and kissed her passionately.

* * *

**a/n: pretty sure you guys all know who the woman is... So sorry Rikku had to see that... Reviews anyone? Thanks! Next update will take a while. I'm going on vacation! Booyaka!**


	8. Chapter 8: Help

**Chapter 8: Help**

Squall was sitting on his desk, signing papers left and right, as usual. He's pretty much used to doing paperwork, but sometimes he can't help but think what if he wasn't the commander, he would then just be a regular SeeD. He'd be able to accept whatever mission he wanted, and he would not be confined to the four walls of his office. But then again, he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't like being the commander, why else would he have stuck himself in this job for 2 years now if he didn't like it?

It has amazed him, that the amount of paperwork from the time Xu had gone on vacation had been greatly diminished. All thanks to himself, by working until the late hours of the evening and to Xu, with her workaholic/bitchy personality. He felt tired, he had not been able to get that much sleep for almost two weeks now. But he was thankful for the fact that SeeD exams were over, things in his office were usually slow after the exams, and he was very much looking forward to a well deserved sleep.

He rose from his seat, yawned softly, and opened the blinds in his office's window. It was just after classes, he leaned into the window and saw students and SeeDs alike were scattered at the Garden's grounds. Some laughing and talking with their friends, while others simply sat peacefully and basked in the sun. The period after the exams was the time of the year when most of the students were relaxed. He noticed a familiar face in the crowd below, a tall man with flaxen hair, who had his hands in his pockets, and his bag slung over his shoulder. Seifer was walking, no, more like , running across the grounds and seemed to be leaving the Garden in a hurry. He was probably going to Balamb, Seifer frequented the town. Squall felt annoyed, when he saw Seifer. Especially last night, when he had cut into his dance with Rikku. It didn't make any sense to him, so what if Seifer cut in? He wasn't really into dancing, and Rikku was not that good of a dancer, his feet were still sore from the experience. But why was he irritated at Seifer? Didn't he already get over his ill feelings toward Seifer? Weren't they sort of friends now? What was this he was feeling…? He shrugged the thoughts swimming through his mind away, finding out certain feelings was very unbecoming of him. Sighing, he went back to his seat, and focused on his work again. His fingers drummed through the keys of his computer, typing away at a slow pace. After a couple of minutes, he could barely keep his eyes open, his lack of sleep was now catching up to him. He could feel himself slipping away from consciousness, his head was just a few inches away from the table and he waited for his head to make contact, but it didn't happen, he snapped out of it when he heard three sharp knocks on his door. Can't a commander get a break?

"Come in…" he mutters, and the door to his office slides open. Rikku peaks inside his office, before she let herself in as she closed the door behind her. She was wearing her standard uniform, and her hair up in its usual style.

"Uhm… Hey…" she greeted, a small smile on her lips.

"What are you doing here?" Squall mumbled, still not fully awake. Rikku pulled out a chair in front of his desk and took a seat.

"I had a class on this floor, so I thought I'd drop by." said Rikku. She was looking around curiously all over the office. As if it was her first time here. Squall went back to typing on his computer again.

"Squall, can I hang out here for awhile?" asked Rikku. Squall looked at her with a stunned expression. Rikku? Hang out here? With him? Was this for real?

"I guess…" he mutters. Not bothering to look up from his computer.

"Nice weather we're having, huh?" Rikku said. Was she trying to make conversation with him?

"Yeah."

"I like the climate here, I've had enough of Trabia's cold weather." She really was trying to make conversation. Why though?

"Hnn."

"Hey you know, some of the girls from our class suggested to conduct the class outside, and the instructor agreed. That'll be something to look forward to huh? I bet you're sick and tired of slaying the same old monsters in the training center." said Rikku. She was more talkative than usual. Weird.

"Not really." He answered truthfully.

"Oh right, 'Course you don't get to train much, what with you being the commander and all." She looked around the office again. Possibly thinking of another conversational piece. "That mission you sent Hailey to, how long is it going to take?" she asked. So that's why she was here, Hailey had been sent on a mission again, she didn't have someone to hang out with.

"3 to 4 days."

"Ohh…. Hey, do I get to be on a mission soon?"

"I'm working on that now, actually." said Squall.

"Really? Whoa! Can't wait!" though she spoke with eagerness, he couldn't help but notice that her eyes weren't as eager. Was she that depressed about her best friend going away on a mission?

"You'll be informed within the week."

"Great!" she said, as she absently rubbed the bandage on her arm. Squall glanced at her eyes briefly and saw it again, something was definitely wrong with her. She was acting like everything was fine, but something was obviously bothering her. Squall pondered on whether he should just ask her.

"I bet you're here to pick up your game." said Squall. He couldn't bring himself to ask her what was wrong, it may be too personal a question.

"Oh right, the psp, but if you don't want to return it, that's cool. I would have danced with you anyway, you looked so desperate." she teased. Squall glared at her. "Or not." she added and smiled, a rather sad smile, he might add.

Squall opened a drawer, and pulled out the handheld gaming device and held it out to Rikku. "Take it, I couldn't get past the third stage anyway…" said Squall. Rikku blinked a couple of times in surprise. "I got bored with the paperwork." Squall answered her unvoiced question. When he noticed Rikku's still shocked expression, he continued. "And yes… I do play games."

"You don't look the type, ya know?" said Rikku. Squall couldn't agree more.

"It was a pretty good game." he said.

"Pretty good?! God of War is not just 'pretty good'! It's a friggin' awesome game!" she told him. Ah, so she was an avid gamer. She didn't look the type too, Squall thought. Squall, who still had the psp held out, put it on the table. Rikku shoved the object back to him.

"Take it! You can't just play my psp without my permission and not play through the entire game. Give it back to me when you've completed the game."

"That's not really necessary…" he began to say, but was cut off by Rikku.

"I insist. It can't be all work and no play. You'll die early that way. When things get pretty hectic in your office, you should pull this out and take a break." said Rikku, as she gave him a small smile, with a hint of sadness again.

"Thanks" he muttered, as he put the psp back into his drawer. Rikku nodded. Silence had then consumed his office. Squall stopped typing, Rikku's attention was on the window. Squall saw her shoulders slouch as she sighed. Now he really wanted to know.

"You okay?" Squall breaks his silence as he finally managed to ask. Rikku looked away from the window and turned to face Squall.

"Yeah, why would I not be?" she inquired. It wasn't like him to ask how people were doing, but he couldn't help it. Not when she kept on showing that depressing smile.

"Well, You came here to my office to hang out, of all the places you could go to, and you started to make conversation with me, of all the people you can talk to, and you're letting me borrow your psp…"

"That's the longest I've heard you speak, Squall." said Rikku, grinning at him.

"Yeah, so you better answer the question. If you want to, I mean if it's too personal then I'll understand, It's just that I can tell there's something bothering you and I thought…"

"You're rambling Squall!" Rikku exclaimed. "I should be the one asking if you're okay!" said Rikku. That earned her another cold glare from Squall. Squall? Rambling? Was that even possible? He never rambled about somehing… In his head yeah, but never out loud! Rikku was right, the question should be, what was wrong with him!

Rikku chuckled softly. "Fine I'll tell you… But you have to promise not to tell anyone!"

"Fine."

"Pinky promise!" Rikku held out her pinky to Squall. He simply stared at it.

"Do I have to?" he asked. He hesitated, he really didn't want to do something as childish as pinky swearing.

"It'll give me assurance." Rikku reached over his desk and grabbed his hand, and slid her pinky into his. Rikku leaned back into the chair and took a deep breath "I like Seifer…"

Really, that shouldn't come as a surprise to him. He was witness to it after all. They were together all the time, talking and laughing during class, after class, on lunches and breaks, studying at the library among other things they did together. But hearing it from her, hearing the words slip out of her mouth, it still came as a surprise to him.

"…and like as in I want to be more than friends with him, like as in I want to be his girlfriend and hold his hand and hug him and ki…"

"I know what liking someone means, no need to get graphic." he cut in. Not wanting to hear more about the things she'd want to do with him.

"But he doesn't feel the same way…" said Rikku, the sadness now freely showing on her face.

"I think he feels the same way." said Squall. That was what he noticed anyway. He had never seen Seifer get close to a girl, he was a playboy before, but Squall had never seen him actually hanging out with a girl before like what he now did with Rikku.

"I thought so too… Why else would he hang out with me, right? But then I saw him with another girl last night in the Balcony…"

"Probably one of those girls who always flirts with him."

"No, it was a different girl. She wasn't one of those flirts. They talked for a bit and then…" Rikku stopped, and bit her lip, hesitating to go on.

"And…?" he urged. Rikku looked at Squall for a moment, before she continued.

"He walked towards her, and he kissed her…" she told him, as she sighed again.

"Oh…" was all Squall managed to say. He stared at Rikku, she buried her face in her hands. Was she going to start crying..?

"Well.. Seifer's known to be a playboy, maybe she's just one of those girls." Squall told her, trying to put her out of her misery. But his words only made her more miserable as he heard her sniff. "Maybe it was just a one time thing." Squall tried again.

"But if he liked me then why would he kiss another girl?" she mumbled, her face still buried.

"He was bored?" and that did it for Rikku. She removed her hands from her face, tears were forming on her eyes and they were threatening to fall. Just like most guys, Squall didn't like too see crying women, it made him uncomfortable… VERY uncomfortable. He always fled at the sight of a crying woman. "Hotdogs." he blurted out.

"What?" Rikku asked him, confused. He wanted to prevent Rikku from crying, and it was the first thought that came to his mind. Distract her with food.

"I'm hungry, want to get something to eat?" Rikku smirked, as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Good call. Me crying, not a pretty sight."

* * *

It took every ounce of willpower that Rikku possessed to be able to get up from her bed, take a shower, put on her uniform and head to class. She wanted so much to just lock herself inside her room, and cry her eyes out. But then she realized, that was pretty pathetic… and she was a strong girl and crying was very unbecoming of a strong-willed girl such as herself. Seifer… she really thought that he liked her the same way that she liked him. She really was down on her luck when it came to love. It was something she could not avoid, running into him eventually, she was only able to do so yesterday since they didn't have the same classes and when he caught up to her at the Cafeteria she had feigned a stomachache and ran. The problem was that, all of her classes today, was also Seifer's.

When she got to the classroom, She looked around the room, most of her classmates were already in their seats and were chatting amongst themselves. She looked at the far back of the room, where her seat was. He was already there, running his fingers along the keys of his cellphone. He looked up from the small screen and saw her. He smiled at her and waved. Rikku's grip on her bag tightened. Act normal, she said to herself. She took a deep breath, put on a smile (a fake one) on her face as she happily skipped towards her seat.

"Hey Seifer!" she greeted him. She settled her bag on the desk as she pulled out her books.

"Seems lame, huh? Still attending classes even after becoming SeeDs." said Seifer, flipping his phone shut as he put it in his pants pocket.

"That's the Garden Association for ya…" she said. She opened her book, and began skimming through the pages.

"Are you feeling better?" Seifer asked, he sounded worried. Or was it just her?

"Yeah…" She laughed nervously.

"You disappeared at the Ball, what happened?" There it was, the question she had been dreading to hear from him since yesterday.

She swallowed hard, before she answered. "That's when my stomach started acting up…" she lied.

"You ate something bad or what?"

"Yeah… I ate a yogurt that was a couple of days past its expiration…" Rikku was a pretty good liar… and was good at hiding what she really felt. Most times anyway, Squall had seen through her yesterday. What was up with that?

"Tough luck. So what is it?"

"What?" she asked, pretending to be ignorant of what he was trying to say.

"You had something to tell me right?" said Seifer.

"Oh that… Well I forgot…" she chuckled. Seifer looked baffled.

"You forgot?"

"Yeah… It's probably not that important anyway…"

"But you looked all serious and…"

"Oh hey!" said Rikku suddenly, as she saw Squall enter the room. "Squall's here!" She waved at Squall in a hyper-like manner. Squall looked behind him to see who she was waving at, no one was behind him, was Rikku waving at him? And quite actively at that. And then he saw Seifer, who looked just as confused as he was. It then made sense to him. Rikku was acting so hyper because Seifer was here… she put on a 'mask' again. He got to his seat which was behind Rikku's and settled in. He nodded at the two blondes in front of him in greeting.

"Rikku, are you sure you're feeling better? You're acting weird today." said Seifer. She punched Seifer playfully on the arm.

"Aw don't worry 'bout me! I'm as healthy as a cow!"

"Horse." Squall corrected her.

"Er… right. Oh look the Instructor's here! Time to focus on the books again!" She opened her books and pretended to read. So much for trying to act normal.

* * *

"He must think I'm some kind of weirdo… Jumping up and down like an idiot when I got the Instructor's question right…" sighed Rikku. She was walking beside Squall, and they were making their way to the Cafeteria for lunch. Seifer had been called by the headmaster and had gone on ahead of them. She felt relieved when Seifer left. She could look dejected again. In front of Squall at least.

"Not a weirdo, High on sugar maybe."

"…and when he made a joke I laughed so hard, that I fell of my seat…"

"It wasn't that funny…"

"…he helped me get up, but I stepped on a pen on the floor and I landed on my butt again…"

"You owe me a pen…"

"…and when I was pretending to be reading, my book was upside down and he saw it."

"You were acting like you had been smoking something illegal…"

"…and I swear, he was trying so hard not to laugh at me!" said a very frustrated Rikku. She dumped her things noisily on their usual table. Squall took the seat in front of her and settled his things on the table. "What am I supposed to do Squall?" she asked him, a desperate look on her face. Squall sighed, Rikku had been following him nonstop all morning, voicing out her frustrations for the young commander to hear. It really wasn't necessary. He had been there to witness these events after all.

"I don't know." he told her. What was he supposed to say anyway? He wasn't good at giving advice, no wait, he NEVER gives advice.

"You know… I was going to tell him I liked him during the Ball…" said Rikku. She rested her head on the table and stared at the long line for hotdogs.

"Why don't you just try telling him again and get it over with?"

"And get shot down?! I don't think so! He'll definitely say _"Sorry Rikku, you're a great girl, really, but I only see you as a friend."_ Her imitation of Seifer's voice was terrible.

"Then at least you'd get the picture and move on." said Squall. He was starting to feel irritated, with her asking him help for her love troubles. Did he look like he was willing to listen? Squall took out his laptop from his bag and flipped it open. Rikku should have at least enough decency not to disturb him while he was working, or pretending to be working.

"Oh come on Squall! I need help here! What should I do!" Rikku pleaded.

"…" Squall started typing on his computer again, and ignored the Trabian girl in front of him.

"You're the one who said that he might like me too! Please?" she said, batting her eyelashes at him. Was she trying to look cute? It wasn't working.

"…"

"Pretty please?"

"…"

"Pretty please with strawberries on top?"

"Cherries." he corrected her again.

"I know it's cherries, but I know you like strawberries so…" Squall stared at her, his mouth dropping in shock.

"How the hell did you know that?!" He quickly stood up and slammed his fist on the table. Several students had looked at their table. Squall sent icy glares their way and the students looked away from them.

"Let's just say, I have my ways." said Rikku, as she winked at him. "So? You going to help me or not?" Rikku tried again.

"Did Zell tell you about that?" Only the Orphanage gang knew about his fascination for the girly fruit. It was a secret that the others promised they would carry to their deathbeds.

"No… So…?"

"Are you blackmailing me?" He said, the tone of his voice cold and intimidating. But Rikku seemed to be unaffected.

"No of course not! But you know… I may let it slip to someone that…"

"Don't say it!" Bellowed Squall. Rikku grinned mischievously.

"Come on, It's not that bad, So what if you like straw…"

"Fine! I'll help you!" he told her. He sank back to his seat and crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Yes! Now here's what I was thinking…"

"You were thinking…?"

"Quiet… So I was thinking, I should pretend to have a boyfriend. If he gets jealous then that means he likes me and if not, then it's the end for me."

"Oh very smart, where did you get this idea? From a cheesy romance movie?" said Squall, Rikku stuck her tongue out at him.

"I think it's a great idea!" Rikku and Squall both jumped up in surprise, Irvine had come up to their table unnoticed.

"Irvine?! The hell?!"

"Chill Rikku… I've known for some time…" said the cowboy, as he took the seat next to Squall's. Just where did he come from?

"It's pretty obvious… Everyone in the Garden knows you have the hots for Seifer…" said Irvine, smirking at her.

"What?!" exclaimed Rikku, their table, once again, was the center of attention in the cafeteria. Rikku moved her seat closer to the table as she motioned for Irvine to move closer. She looked at Squall, and motioned at him to do the same. Squall shrugged stood from his seat, and fell in line to get hotdogs.

"Oi get back here!" She shouted at him. Squall chose to ignore her. Rikku stared back at Irvine. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Well yeah! You try and act all cute and innocent in front of him, you hang out with him every chance you get, and you pretend to like the stuff he likes…"

"Hey! I do like the stuff he likes… Most of it anyway…" Rikku admitted. Irvine chuckled.

"So what were you and Squall scheming about?" asked Irvine.

"Well… He was going to help me confirm whether or not Seifer feels the same about me… " Rikku then told Irvine about what he had seen at the Ball, when she went back to look for Seifer.

"And how do you plan to do that?" asked the cowboy.

"Get a guy to make him jealous!" Irvine's chuckle had turned into full blown laughter.

"Are you serious?"

"What? I know it sounds cheesy, but it works all the time!" said Rikku, she pinched Irvine's arm and that got him to stop laughing.

"Ow… Sorry, but I can't see that working… How about if…" Irvine leaned over and whispered into Rikku's ear. Rikku kept nodding at whatever it was Irvine was saying. Squall then returned with a tray in his hands with three hotdogs in it.

"Ooooh! That's brilliant Irvy! Can't believe I haven't thought of that!" Rikku squealed, as she and Irvine high-fived. Rikku turned to face Squall.

"Thanks…" said Rikku, as she took a hotdog from the tray. "So how much do I owe ya?"

"You don't need to pay me." Squall never paid for the hotdogs anyway, perks of being the commander.

"Hmm… Well I now owe you three hotdogs, huh?"

"Four." said Squall.

"Oh ho! You were keeping count, eh?" Rikku grinned at him, Squall grunted, ignoring her. Irvine sat, just watching the words pass between the two, a smile forming on his lips.

"Whatever." Squall retorted.

"I'll pay you back someday Squall, maybe not with money, since I'm kinda broke, but maybe…" Rikku stopped mid sentence as her gaze focused on a familiar figure entering the cafeteria. "Oh my Hyne!" She squealed. Irvine and Squall followed her gaze, but their were too many people in the cafeteria and they couldn't follow what she had seen.

"What is it?" asked Irvine.

"That's her! The girl Seifer kissed at the Ball!" Rikku pointed out into the crowd.

"Where?"

"The tall, blonde one! She's coming over!" Squall and Irvine then saw a blonde woman, she was wearing an Instructor's uniform and glasses, she had spotted them at their usual table and smiled as she started making her way towards them.

"No way!" gasped Irvine. Squall couldn't believe it. Of all the women Seifer could fool around with, it had to be her. Angrily, he rose from his seat and darted past the blonde woman, and left the Cafeteria in search of Seifer.

* * *

a/n: yeah i'm back... the great white north, such a beautiful country. So anyway, did the characters seem too OOC to you? I apologize for that. I'm doing my bestest! Reviews, you know i'd love them. Next update won't take too long... i think...


	9. Chapter 9: Hurt

a/n: have i mentioned before that my fic contains swearing? Woops!

**Chapter 9: Hurt**

Seifer had just finished talking with the headmaster, who had briefed him about his first mission as a SeeD. He was ecstatic of course, his hard work had paid off, and he was finally a SeeD. He was relieved, he didn't have to leave the Garden, he was here to stay. He knew that there were a lot of people who didn't like him being back in the Garden, he could hear all the whispering behind his back, he even heard nasty rumors about himself, most of them lies. He ignored them. Of course, there were some instances were he had almost beaten a student, but he somehow managed to stop himself, he had to, he wanted to stay. He was so used to being the resident bad boy anyway, so most times, he just ignored the comments about him.. Before taking the exams, whenever he passed through crowded areas, he could hear people saying behind his back, that he wouldn't make it to SeeD. Seifer Almasy was a lot of things, but being a SeeD was not one of those things. Now he proved them wrong, and now that he was a SeeD, he could prove himself to the garden, or maybe even the rest of the world.

His mission was to start tomorrow, he had been assigned to lead two other SeeDs , to sneak into a supposedly abandoned research laboratory, in the mountains located to the north of the missile base. he was thrilled for his first mission, but he didn't want to leave so soon, she just got back after all, and he had missed her, he wanted to spend more time with her.

Quistis made so much difference in his life. He was grateful, for whatever God was out there who had brought him and Quistis together. They had both agreed that they would keep their new relationship a secret in the meantime. He didn't want people talking behind Quistis' back. He didn't want that for her.

Never had he imagined, all those years ago at the orphanage that he would fall for Quistis Trepe. She was the bossy sister figure back then, when he was young, he hated her guts, she was a goody two shoes who always told on matron whenever he did something wrong. They never got along. Years later, when Quistis had entered the garden, he remembered her. He was surprised that she hadn't remembered him, he was so sure he had made quite an impression on her at the orphanage. Through the years he always picked on her, made her life difficult when he became her student, he did so hoping that she would remember him, but she didn't. Squall, Zell, and Selphie forgot about him too. And he just let it go. The GFs and its side effects. The events of the second sorceress war was all a blur to him, the last memory he had before being taken over by the sorceress was of Quistis, telling him to stop, to turn back and walk away, back to the garden, with her. Quistis face that time was forever etched in his mind. Tears were threatening to fall, she was begging him to stop her face held sadness and disappointment, he wanted to stop, go to Quistis, but he couldn't. His childish dreams, the sorceress said she could fulfill them, he had been pulled into the sorceress' promises. He was too weak to realize that his dreams were just fantasy, they were never going to be reality.

Months of wandering around the continent made him see things differently. It made him realize that his dream was not to be a sorceress' knight... his real calling was to become a SeeD, and it was Quistis who had convinced him of this, when they met in Timber briefly after the war. He said his goodbyes to Fujin and Raijin, and decided to go back to the place he always considered home. Cid and Edea were all too willing to take him back and he was really grateful. He thought Quistis and the others hated him, but they didn't, they forgave him, he felt that he didn't deserve it, but in time, he had also come to forgive himself.

Now as a new SeeD, he would do everything in his power to protect the garden that would forever be his home, and to protect his friends, for their loyalty and forgiveness, and protect Quistis, who had done so much for him and had made him feel his life was worth living…

He was on his way to the dorms, to prepare for his week long mission. As he passed through the crowds, he noticed that they weren't talking about him anymore. He chuckled to himself. Serves them right for doubting his abilities. As he neared the entrance to the dormitories, he could feel footsteps coming closer, he barely had time to turn around to see who it was as a fist collided with his face, causing him to stumble and land on the ground with a thud. His things were a mess on the floor. He looked up to see who it was and he was met with a pair of angry sapphire eyes, glaring at him.

"Squall, what the hell?" he demanded, his hand rubbing his injured cheek.

"Why?" asked the commander, his voice shaking a bit in anger.

"Why what?" as he stood up, he saw Irvine and Rikku running towards them. Squall made a move to hit him again but was stopped by Irvine as he grabbed his arm.

"Squall don't!"

"Of all the women you could fuck around with, why her?"

Seifer was stunned, how could they have known? "I don't know what you're going on about..." Seifer feigned ignorance. Squall tightened his fists. Rikku took hold of Squall's other arm to stop him. She could feel Squall trembling.

"Don't try to deny it Seifer. I know what's going on with you and Quistis!"

"How did you…"

"Got tired of fucking the local sluts Seifer?"

"It's not like that!" He bellowed.

"Really? She's not one of the whores you fuck around with for awhile, and after you get bored, you just dump them like trash?" Rikku could only watch in shock, her grip on Squall's arm tight. She was scared, scared they might start fighting here, and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"I'm telling you, it's not like that!" Seifer argued. His voice rising in anger.

"She's one of my best friends, she's like a sister to me! I can't have you messing with her feelings!" Squall yelled, struggling with Irvine and Rikku who were both still holding on to him.

"I'm not messing with her feelings! I love her!" Seifer declared. His green eyes were angry, but there was not a trace of hesitation when he had said those words, his words not only sounded true, but what he really spoke was the truth. Squall, Irvine and Rikku, stunned by the revelation, could only stare at the tall blonde as he said those words. Squall backed away a few steps from Seifer, taking in his words. He knew Seifer well enough not to lie about things like this.

"Cat got your tongue, Commander?"

"…" Squall didn't know how to respond.

"I'm in love with her, get it? I'm sure as hell not just fooling around with her!" Seifer yelled. Squall stood silent.

"I…"

"I'm not using her… like you did!" Seifer accused. Squall could only stare at the blonde before him. Seifer's words had hit him, like a slap in the face. Irvine had let go of Squall's arm and put himself in between the two.

"Seifer… that's enough… We understand how you feel… Squall was just worried about her.." said Irvine, his voice calm as he spoke to the former rivals.

Seifer knelt down and picked up the rest of his things. "Well you can tell him…" Seifer pointed at Squall. "That I'm not like him, I don't use people to make myself feel better!" Seifer stood up and stormed out of the scene angrily, his loud footsteps echoing as he made for the dorms. Squall, Irvine and Rikku were left at the Dorm's entrance, silence enveloping them. It was Irvine who broke the silence and spoke first.

Irvine turned to Squall. "Squall, I'm sure Seifer didn't mean that… he just got caught up in the moment… what with you…"

"It's okay Irvine." Squall told him. He broke Rikku's grip on his arm as he also walked away.

* * *

She couldn't believe what had just happened… what she had just witnessed before her eyes. For awhile there, she thought Squall and Seifer were going to beat each other up. Thank Hyne they didn't, and Irvine was there to stop them. She was more stunned by the fight that almost happened compared to Seifer's revelation, and what he had said about Squall. When Squall left the scene, she saw his face for a moment, he looked hurt. Seifer's words had hit him. Squall was known to deal with his problems and pain by himself, so that was probably why she felt that she had to follow him. She ran around the 1st floor rotunda, looking for the raven haired commander. She had asked a couple of students if they had seen him, but no one knew where he was, or where he had gone. Rikku decided to look for him in his office, it's where he usually is anyway, so she figured she'd try to look there. She got on the elevator, and pressed the button to go up the 3rd floor. She wondered what she's supposed to tell him, what to say to him to make him feel better? Among the others, she knew Squall the least. Sure, they had talked several times now, but she didn't really know any personal stuff about him.

The elevator stopped at the 3rd floor and she got off. The lobby was empty. She proceeded to Xu's office and saw that she wasn't there. After passing through Xu's table, she arrived in front of his office door, she noticed that it was unlocked. She carefully slid inside and saw the young commander, standing in front of the window with his arms crossed. He had his back turned on her, she couldn't see his face.

"What?" Squall spoke. She was a bit surprised when he suddenly spoke. She thought that he had not sensed her come in.

"Nothing… I just thought I should follow you." she answered truthfully.

"Sorry." Squall muttered.

"What for?" Rikku inquired. She hadn't expected him to say sorry, she was expecting him to snap at her and tell her to leave.

"I told you that Seifer might like you back. I hope I didn't get your hopes up." he told her.

"Well… yeah you did…" she admitted. Sighing, she continued. "But when I saw him kissing that girl, I kinda prepared myself to be turned down." she let out a small smile. Squall turned to look at her briefly, and went back to staring at the window. "So that was Quistis…" said Rikku. She moved to sit on the chair in front of Squall's desk.

Rikku had heard about Quistis from Selphie and the others. But what she only knew about Quistis was that she was part of the Orphanage Gang, and that she was an Instructor, and that she had taught Squall, Seifer and Zell. That was the first time she had seen her in person. She was truly beautiful as the rumors say. No wonder Seifer was in love with her. Her heart sank. Never could she match up to Quistis' beauty. But if she was to lose, she wouldn't mind losing to someone like Quistis.

Squall pulled out his chair and sat, he let his head rest on his right hand, a forlorn expression visible on his handsome face. "Yeah that's her." he told Rikku.

"She's really pretty…." said Rikku. She wanted to ask him things, but she wasn't sure if Squall would answer them.

"Quistis and I… we dated briefly." said Squall. Rikku was taken by surprise. She looked at Squall with a questioning look on her face. "What? You were the one who told me that talking to someone would make me feel better." Squall added. She hadn't expected Squall to start opening up.

"Oh… you remembered that? Well it's true though!" said Rikku. She looked at Squall anxiously as she continued. "So umm… if you don't mind me asking… what did Seifer mean when he said that you used her?" she managed to ask.

Squall stared at her for a moment and sighed as he crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair. Why was he opening up, and to Rikku of all people? "Last year, my girlfriend left me. I went into a state of depression, I wasn't speaking to anyone, and all I did was work." Rikku looked at him in question again. "More so than I do now." Rikku nodded. "I lost a lot of weight, and I they even had to take me to the hospital a few times. Quistis was always there for me. She encouraged me to keep moving forward. Slowly, I was able to get back on my feet with her help, and the others too. But I still couldn't get over her. I knew about Quistis' feelings for me, so I asked her out. We were together for a month, but I couldn't bring myself to fall for her, I still saw her as a friend, as a sister. I couldn't keep on dating her, knowing that I wouldn't be able to feel differently about her, so I broke up with her and I apologized. Quistis was very forgiving, but she was hurt, she didn't show it to me but I could see it…

"So now she's with Seifer…" said Rikku.

"After I hurt her, I guess that's when she turned to Seifer. She was the one who encouraged Seifer to go back." said Squall. Rikku glanced at the young commander before him. He was really hurt by the truth of Seifer's words. She had never seen him like this before.

"You know what I think?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this but, what?"

Rikku shifted in her seat, as she moved closer to Squall's desk. "Humans tend to seek help from others when they're hurt Squall. What you did with Quistis, that was only natural. You were hurting and you needed someone to make you feel better, sure she got hurt because of it but you're only human Squall, you couldn't help it." Rikku's words sunk into him as he tried to comprehend her words. She was right though, but he wouldn't admit it to her, not in a million years. This was Rikku, for crying out loud. She was many things but, a good giver of advice? It was just not her thing.

"Maybe." was all he said to her, not fully agreeing but also not disagreeing. A safe response.

"I think you should apologize to Seifer though, you punched him quite hard."

"If I could help it, I don't want Quistis to be hurt again and I thought Seifer was playing with her."

"But he isn't. You saw how serious he was, right?" Rikku sighed. Squall could only nod in agreement. "I'm happy for him , really. After everything he'd been through, he can finally be happy. I wonder why he kept it a secret though…"

"Student-Instructor relationships are not allowed, it's in the Garden handbook." Squall answered her.

"Oh so that's why… But he's a SeeD now, so they don't have to hide it anymore." said Rikku. Squall saw the look of disappointment all over her face.

"Are you going to be okay?" Squall asked. Rikku, was again surprised by his words.

"Wow Squall, so you do care!" she squealed. "Whatever." they both said at the same time. Rikku started laughing. "But seriously, I think I'll be just fine. At least I wasn't able to tell him how I feel, that would have been awkward afterwards!" she smiled. She was really going to be okay. The look on her face said so. How he wished he could be as positive as Rikku. They both turned to face the door, when they heard the elevator ring. It was Xu, and she had a scary look on her face.

"Squall, the headmaster wishes to see you in his office." said Xu, as she left Squall's office quickly, and went to her desk. Squall and Rikku both stared at each other.

"Uh-oh… Don't tell me the headmaster already got word of what happened between you and Seifer?"

"Most likely." Squall stood up and moved towards the door. He looked back at Rikku. "Thanks." he told her. Rikku smiled at him.

"No problem. Apologize to Seifer okay?" Squall nodded at the blonde girl as he left his office.

* * *

"…do you have any idea what would happen to the Garden's reputation if this were to spread out?" bellowed Cid. Squall heard voices even while he was still inside the elevator. "How long has this been going on Seifer?" asked the headmaster.

"Like I told you, We've only just started dating!" Seifer exclaimed.

"Don't talk like that to the headmaster Almasy!" scolded the Head Instructor, Terrence Stuart ,a strict man in his early forties.

"But I've been telling you over and over again that Quistis and I were not dating when I was still her student!"

"And what makes you think we believe you?" said the Head Instructor.

"Because it's the truth! You know Quistis would never date a student!" said Seifer. His fist clenched tight, he was stopping himself from hitting the Instructor.

Squall didn't even bother knocking as he stormed inside the headmaster's office. "Commander Leonhart! Don't you have any manners?"

"Commander, I will have a word with you after I have finished talking with Almasy." Cid told him. Squall walked towards the headmaster's desk.

"What happened at the dorms earlier…" he began, "It was my fault Headmaster." said Squall. The Head Instructor was about to say something, when the Headmaster raised a hand to stop him.

"Go on, commander." urged Cid.

"I misunderstood Seifer sir, I accused him of playing around with Quistis, but it was my mistake. He is serious about her." said Squall. The head instructor interrupted him.

"So! It's true then! Almasy and Trepe are together!"

"They are now, but they were not together when Quistis was still his Instructor…"

"And what makes you so sure of this, Commander?" inquired Instructor Stuart. Everyone knew that he was completely against Seifer's readmission.

"I just am, Instructor." answered Squall his tone firm and resolute. Seifer was silent, just what was Squall doing? Defending him like that?

"Are you truly sure about this, Commander?" Cid asked him, pushing his glasses back up.

"I am Sir." said Squall.

"You understand what this means don't you? You may be the Commander but that does not exempt you from punishment."

"I understand the consequences of my actions, sir." Squall replied.

"You leave me no choice. Commander Leonhart, You are hereby suspended until further notice from your duties effective immediately for assaulting a lower ranking officer and for displaying crude behavior unbefitting of a leader. Seifer Almasy, you will proceed with your mission tomorrow as planned."

"But Headmaster, Almasy is…" Stuart started to argue.

"That is enough, Instructor. Seifer has not done something that would merit punishment. You are dismissed." Cid told him. Stuart glared at the blond SeeD, and bowed at the headmaster as he exited the office. Cid turned to face Squall.

"You could use this suspension Squall. I noticed you've been working nonstop lately."

"I am sorry for the trouble Headmaster. This won't happen again."

"The two of you should work out this misunderstanding. Edea would be sad to know that her children have been fighting again." said Cid. Squall and Seifer looked at each other briefly, before they both turned to the headmaster and saluted.

"Yes, sir." They both said.

"You are both dismissed then." The two excused themselves from the commander and left the office. While waiting for the elevator neither of them spoke. Seifer was tapping his foot impatiently, while Squall had his arms crossed. Seifer didn't know what to say to Squall for backing him up, on the other hand Squall was not sure how to apologize to Seifer. A couple of seconds passed, still no elevator. The elevator was surely taking its time.

Seifer couldn't take the silence between them anymore as he cleared his throat and spoke. "Thanks." he muttered.

"It was nothing." Squall told him. Silence had engulfed the two once again. They both just wanted to get out and avoid this awkwardness between them. They were always like this after a fight. They didn't know how to make up. The elevator then came, and both were glad that it did. But to their disappointment, when the elevator doors opened, it was Quistis who was inside. Quistis had both hands on her hips and looked angry.

"What's this I hear about you two fighting?!" Quistis roared. The two men cursed under their breaths.

"Damn."


	10. Chapter 10: Miracles

"So you're telling me you and Squall were arguing about a Hockey game?" demanded Quistis. Her nostrils flared when she spoke. They were all together at the cafeteria, in their usual table having dinner. Quistis had insisted that Seifer and Squall explain themselves. Both of them were quite nervous as they looked down in shame. It was a very known fact that even the two most powerful SeeDs in the Garden couldn't stand up to Quistis Trepe expecially when she was this fuming mad.

Seifer stared nervously at Quistis, then at Squall. Then back at Quistis again. "Uh yeah...Squall was saying that my team didn't have a chance of winning against his team and we got into a pretty heated argument and uh... Squall hit me...But it's no big deal Quis, me and Squall fight about trivial things all the time" Seifer lied through his teeth. Squall nodded in agreement to the blonde man as Selphie, Zell and Irvine were quietly snigering behind their backs.

Quistis turned to look at the young Commander, her eyes inquisitive. Squall could feel chills run down his spine. "Is this true Squall?"

Squall looked up and nodded quickly. "Yes.."

"Didn't know you watched hockey, Squall." Zell cut in, he was trying very hard not to burst out laughing, but it was oh so obvious in his face. Irvine was the same. He would kill them both later.

"Yeah... So what's your hockey team Squall?" asked Selphie. She had a very huge grin on her face.

Squall cursed silently. He and Seifer should have talked this through first. They just made eye contact and both silently agreed to lie. Too bad Seifer had to go with Hockey, he didn't know any Hockey teams. "Timber..."

"Timber what? What's their team name?" Zell pressed. It was Seifer's turn to glare and the blond man. They were obviously enjoying this. Squall glanced at Seifer, who was behind Quistis for an answer, He was doing a swinging action, like swinging something heavy then cutting something. "Loggers?" he ventured a guess. Zell, Selphie, and Irvine erupted into laughter.

"Warriors!" Seifer spat. "I was doing a slashing motion!"

"Didn't look like it!" Squall spat back as he sighed in defeat.

"It looked like you were chopping wood!" said Selphie, wiping the tears in her eyes as she continued laughing. Quistis slammed her hand on the table and everyone instantly shut their mouths.

"Did you two honestly believe you could fool me? I know what really happened! Selphie already told me!"Quistis bellowed.

"Irvine!" Squall and Seifer both glared at the cowboy. Selphie was someone who was incapable of hiding secrets. She must've squeezed it out from Irvine.

"Sorry... She found out I was there and she threatened to skin me if I didn't tell her. But seriously Squall, you know you're not a very good liar..." said Irvine. And at that, Squall had to agree.

"Yeah, the Timber Loggers! Try watching the Sports Channel from time to time Squall!" said Zell as he and the others continued laughing.

"So what did Cid say?" asked Quistis, who had calmed down a bit thanks to the laughing. It was such a miracle that she didn't hit them both like when they were kids. Squall wasn't a firm believer of miracles, but apparently they do happen.

"I'm suspended." said Squall. He kicked Zell under the table, to stop the blond from choking himself to death since he was laughing and eating at the same time.

"Ow!"

"Suspended? For just hitting Seifer? But you and Seifer used to beat each other up before and you didn't get into that much trouble." said Selphie.

"Well, he did say the F word a few times. And it was witnessed by several students, too." said Irvine.

"..and he is the Commander, punishments are heavier for Superior Officers." added Zell. Quistis sighed.

"Look… we're really sorry we tried to hide this from all of you, but when Seifer suggested we keep it a secret I thought it would be better for us too." explained Quistis

"I understand, Quistis." said Squall, as the others agreed with him.

"It's okay Quisty… We're really happy for you guys! But I wish I could have been there to hear Seifer's confession of his love for you!" Selphie squealed.

Seifer and Quistis both turned red from embarrassment. "Shut it!" Seifer growled.

"Aw look at Seify… why so shy all of a sudden? You weren't so shy before when you proclaimed your love for Quisty…" only someone like Selphie was brave enough to tease the ex-sorceress knight.

"Stop!" Seifer shouted as he covered up his ears. They erupted into laughter again.

"What's so funny?" Rikku came up to their table and was standing in front of them, a tray of food in her hands.

"Rikku! Come sit!" Selphie said as she took Rikku's arm and pulled her towards the chair next to her. Rikku almost dropped her food tray, but it was caught by Squall though, the latter must have developed a trauma from falling trays. She muttered a quick sorry and settled down next to him.

"Oh so you're Rikku! I've heard so much about you…" said Quistis as she smiled at her.

"You have?" she asked, surprised. She couldn't help but feel intimidated, she was really awed by Quistis' beauty. The rumors she'd heard about Quistis were true. She was like a princess.

"Yeah. Seifer and Selphie told me about you. It's nice to finally meet you." Quistis extended her hand to Rikku. Rikku took her hand and shook it. Quistis smiled at her again and she did too.

"I heard you passed the SeeD exams too, Congratulations."

"T-thank you…" said Rikku.

"Are you also in Seifer's first mission?" asked Quistis. Rikku shook her head.

"No. I'm actually waiting on Squall for my first mission." said Rikku as she glanced sideways at Squall.

"You'll have to ask Xu about that. She'll take over my job in the meantime." Squall told her.

"So it's true about your suspension…?" Rikku asked. Squall nodded.

"How did you know about that?" Seifer asked her, surprised. It hasn't even been an hour since it happened.

"I heard some students talking about it."

"Word sure travels fast around here." The others then told Rikku about what Cid had told Squall and Seifer. The conversation then started to change. Quistis talked about her experiences during the convention in Galbadia, while the others told her about thing that she had missed while she was away. Rikku thought she would feel left out of their conversation, since they've all known each other a long time, but she didn't feel left out, they all warmly welcomed her into the group, as if she had been part of them from the start.

* * *

He woke up with a start, the mobile phone on the table beside his bed was screaming murder. He forgot to turn it off before he slept. Sighing, he pulled himself up and sat in bed and reached for the phone, he flipped it open and read the message and cursed silently. The message was from Zell, and it wasn't really important, just some joke he picked up somewhere and forwarded as a text to everyone he knew. Zell should have had enough decency not to text people in the middle of the night. He glanced at the time on his phone, he was wrong about it still being night. It was 10:00 in the morning. He had been sleeping for 14 hours straight. That was a new record for him. But that was just fine, he thought. He has not slept for more than 3 hours for the past couple of weeks. He stood up from bed and walked over to the window, he slid the curtain and he was almost blinded by the morning sun. He looked at the view before him, he had to admit, even after he'd been to Esthar a few times, the view of the city's skyline was still a sight to behold.

He heard three sharp knocks on his door and walked towards it. He pressed a button on the control panel and the door mechanically slid open.

"Bad hair day?" his adopted sister Ellone, teased. Squall glanced at his reflection on the mirror and noticed that his hair was a mess.

"Good morning, Sis." he muttered, still a bit sleepy, as he ran his fingers through his hair, attempting to fix it.

"Had a good night's sleep?" she asked.

"Yes, finally."

"Good! Keep your promise then, okay?" said Ellone, smiling hugely at him. Squall sighed.

"Fine. It's not like I have a choice, do I?"

"No, you don't. Go change Squall. We can't have you going out with hair like that!" said Ellone, messing Squall's hair even more. Squall shrugged as he went back inside the room. He could never just stay inside and rest whenever he was in Esthar. Ellone would always drag him away to the mall and go shopping. Ellone followed after him and entered his room. Squall went to the closet to get his change of clothes and proceeded to the bathroom. Ellone sat on his bed as he waited for her 'brother' to finish.

"Squall, how long are you planning to stay here?" Ellone spoke loud enough for Squall to hear all the way to the bathroom.

"A few days..." he replied.

"A few days? like how many days to be exact?" she inquired.

"I don't know yet." Said squall. He was done changing and came out of the bathroom wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt.

"Come on." Ellone grabbed Squall's arm and dragged him out of his room.

"I'd like something to eat first." he told her.

"We'll eat at the mall... There's this new restaurant that just opened, let's have lunch there!"

Squall felt his stomach grumble. He didn't think he could last until lunchtime. "A quick snack, then. Let me eat something Elle, the mall's not going anywhere."

Ellone looked at him and nodded. They both went to the presidential palace's kitchen. The kitchen was not that busy this time of the day, the chef who was lazing around stood up from his seat as he saw the two.

"Ms. Ellone, Mr. Squall, Can I help you?"

"Yeah, some food for Squall here."

"What would you like to eat sir? Fillet Mignon? Fettucini Alfredo? Sea bass? "

"No need to fuss, just a sandwich will do." said Squall. As he and Ellone sat in the stools of the kitchen counter.

The Kitchen doors opened, as three men entered. The man in front had long dark brown hair, that was tied back, he was wearing a suit, though it looked like the suit was wearing him, he felt uncomfortable in it and he kept fussing with the sleeves. Behind the man with long hair were two muscular men, wearing black suits and sunglasses. His bodyguards.

"Oooh! Uncle Laguna! Looking good!" Ellone squealed.

"Oh Geez, Elle! Don't tease me like that! Hey, Squall! You alright, son? You disappeared after dinner last night." said Laguna, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine, thank you. Just tired." he told his father.

"You know..." Laguna began. "You should have told me that you were coming. I was really surprised when you just arrived unannounced yesterday, you could have told me, I would have sent someone to pick you up. "

I really wasn't planning to come here, Squall thought. "I got some time off from Garden."

"Good. You're working too hard. You could use the rest." said Laguna.

"Says the workaholic!" said Ellone. Laguna laughed.

"Hey, I go on vacation too, just not that often." he said.

"Go on vacation then, Squall's staying here a while." said Ellone.

"You are?' Laguna asked him. Squall turned to Ellone, who smiled at him.

"Selphie and I chatted on the net before you came here. Told me all about your suspension." said Ellone.

"I'm not surprised she did." Selphie was a good friend, but sometimes she just couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Suspension? You were suspended?" Laguna asked him. He seemed really surprised.

"Yes... It's a long story." he answered. Laguna didn't seem satisfied with his answer. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing important anyway..." he added.

"What do you mean its not important? Of course it's important! Squall, I know that I've only been your father for 2 years but I really want to know about these things, no matter how unimportant it may seem to you..." said Laguna.

"But don't you have an important meeting you have to go to?" said Squall. Eyeing his father in his suit.

"What kind of a Father would I be if I didn't make time for my son? The Trabian Prime Minister can wait." Laguna took a seat next to him, and ordered his bodyguards to wait outside.

" Really, it's no big deal." Squall insisted.

"Yeah... He just punched Seifer." Ellone said.

"You did what?" Laguna exclaimed. Squall sighed again. Might as well just tell Laguna the story, he wouldn't stop bugging him anyway. He then began telling his father what exactly happened.

"Quistis and Seifer? Really? That's great! I've always thought they looked good together! Good for them!"

"Aren't you supposed to tell me what I did was wrong?"

"Well, I guess you did act a little irrational, punching Seifer like that, you should have waited for an explanation from him first. You may be you, but you're still young Squall, you're still ruled by your emotions, and part of being young is being irrational sometimes." said Laguna. Squall was surprised, hearing those kind of words from Laguna, sounded weird, and at the same time, they made sense. Squall didn't say anything, he continued to eat his sandwich in silence. "So did you apologize to him?" Laguna asked.

"I guess..."

"You should apologize to him clearly, you owe him that, at least." said Laguna. He glanced at his watch and stood up from his seat. "I really should get going... Squall don't hesitate to talk to me about these things okay? Because I really want to hear about them." Squall nodded hesitantly. Laguna reached out and patted his son on the shoulder.

"I'd really like to talk to you more son, but duty calls! Have fun with Elle okay?" Laguna smiled at his son, and left the kitchen, his bodyguards following behind him. Squall might have thought that Laguna was an idiot before and kinda hated his guts at first, and although he was still sometimes an idiot,Squall had to admit that when it came to parenting, Laguna was pretty good at it. But of course, he wouldn't be caught dead saying that out loud.

* * *

Eshar's biggest shopping mall was, well, big. Not only did it boast about being the biggest in the country and the whole world possibly, it was also a famous tourist attraction. The mall was packed more than usual because of a mall wide sale. Ellone dragged Squall along through the crowds, The Seed Commander looking slightly disheveled while he carried heavy shopping bags in both hands. Struggling to weave his way through the crowds, and almost suffocating in the process, Squall stopped in his tracks panting. Ellone noticed this as she stopped too.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

Apparently it wasn't obvious already that he was tired. Women really went on a high whenever they were doing a shopping spree."Can't we stop somewhere for a drink or something?"

"What? Already? But there are still stores I haven't seen yet! Aren't SeeDs supposed to be tough?" Squall shuffled through the memories of his SeeD training. None of it could have prepared him for something like this.

"I'm positive even Mark can't handle something like this." Squall said. Mark Watkins, Ellone's long time boyfriend is a White SeeD Captain. They had met years ago as children and eventually fell in love while they lived in Edea's ship. Squall has met him a few times and he (and Laguna too) liked the guy.

"Ugh, Please don't mention him. I'm kinda pissed at him right now." said Ellone.

"Want to talk about it?" Squall said. He really is desperate for a chance to rest, nevermind the fact that Ellone was about to rant on and on about his boyfriend.

They found a cafe nearby and went there. They were seated soon enough and a waitress handed them the menu. Squall quickly scanned through the menu and ordered while Ellone asked for the same thing.

"Here's the thing..." Squall braced himself for the unavoidable conversation. "It's going to be our anniversary in a few weeks and I told him that he should come to Esthar so we could celebrate, but then he said he couldn't make it because of a stupid mission. We barely see each other as it is what with Edea's Ship moving from place to place. So then I tell him..." Ellone as expected of Squall, rambled on and on about her boyfriend. Squall was very aware of his sister's feelings regarding their long distance relationship, she hated it. Squall wasn't a believer of long distance relationships. They weren't meant to last. Nothing in this world is ever meant to last. But Ellone was determined to make this one work and he had no choice but to support his sister.

"Err Sis, why don't you just celebrate it when he gets time off work? From the sound of it, his mission sounds important."

"Oh so you're taking his side? Of course you are! I just don't get you SeeDs, is a mission more important than a loved one?" Not knowing what to say Squall just kept quiet. If he answered Elle truthfully, he fears he may get an earful from her. SeeDs are mercenaries dedicated to fulfilling their missions, they are prepared to throw away their lives, and consequently, they are , or rather, they should be prepared to leave behind or lose their loved ones.

After what seemed like hours of talking, Ellone finally stopped. Both just finishing their drinks as they prepared to leave the cafe.

"You ready to go back?" Ellone asked. He looked around at the mall, it seems as though the number of people had doubled.

"Do we have to? You already bought a lot of stuff."

"No! I still have things to buy. Besides, I might run into my friends, they're here somewhere too." The Mall was too packed. Squall, partly due to his SeeD training, managed to evade people who were about to bump into him because of the now cramped space. Making their way through this place was like finding a needle in a haystack. Almost impossible.

"Elle, It's impossible with this many people. You'll need a miracle to be able to find them." And as mentioned before, Squall wasn't big on the whole 'miracle' thing. A person had unexpectedly bumped into the Squall for the first time since they arrived here. Squall hissed in pain as said person had stepped on his foot quite painfully.

"Squall you okay?" Ellone asked him.

"Oh my Hyne! I'm so so sorry I... Wait, Squall is that you?" said the girl who stepped on his foot. She glanced at the girl and found himself staring at an all too familiar blonde girl with green eyes.

Wasn't it just seconds ago that he was telling Ellone that it would be a miracle if they met with someone they knew in this awfully crowded place? Oh but he was mistaken, Miracles do happen after all.

* * *

a/n: don't know if anyone's still reading this but i had the sudden desire to continue this story.


	11. Chapter 11: Closer

Chapter 11: Closer

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Rikku asked Squall. She was wearing casual clothes. An orange tank top and skinny jeans, her weapons tucked neatly at her back partially covered by her shirt. Her hair in its usual high ponytail. She wore no make up as always. She looked nice, Squall thought.

Shrugging the previous thought away, he replied. "I should ask you the same thing."

"I'm on a mission." She said. Squall expected that answer. He noticed she was carrying a bag. Her clothes by the looks of it.

"In the mall?"

"No of course not. We got sidetracked. We saw the sale and well here we are." said Rikku as she giggled. Behind her, making their way through the crowd was Xu's younger brother Evan and another girl who's name Squall forgot.

"Rikku we have a problem! Douglas got into an accident!" cried Evan, him and the other girl were both panting trying to catch their breaths.

"Why what happened?"

"He was looking around at a store and he was near the stairs and this mall employee lost control of the boxes he was carrying and Douglas caught the boxes but he lost his footing and fell down the stairs. The ambulance just took him, i think he broke his leg." Evan explained.

"What? We're down one man! We have to meet with the client in an hour! " Rikku panicked. This was her first mission, so naturally she'd want it to go well.

"Call the Garden and ask if there's an available SeeD in the area. " said Squall. Evan and the other girl both looked at Squall and their mouths dropped in surprise.

"C-commander! Sorry for being rude I didn't see you there!" said Evan as he and the girl saluted Squall.

"It's fine no need to be formal. I'm off duty. " the two relaxed. No one in the garden except for his friends knew about his suspension.

"Evan call the garden!" Rikku ordered. Evan nodded as he took out his phone and dialed quickly.

"You're the squad leader?" squall asked rikku. His voice a bit teasing.

" I have leadership qualities, you know? I... Oh my gosh I'm being rude to your companion! Sorry. I'm Rikku by the way, Squall's friend. Your girlfriend?" she asked him.

Squall quickly shook his head. "No, this is my sister!" Squall explained. Ellone laughed and extended her hand to Rikku.

"A friend of Squall's huh? I'm Ellone by the way. " said Ellone as she smiled at the two other seeds. Evan still talking on the phone nodded in acknowledgment.

Rikku felt relieved at Squall's answer. Why she felt that way she wasn't sure. She shook hands with Ellone. "Nice to meet you! Oh so is that why you're in Esthar? Visiting your sister?" Squall nodded. Evan ended the call and turned to face them.

"I talked to the SeeD committee. Said they'll look for a replacement for Douglas and they'll just call back. In the meantime we should head to the meeting place. " Evan said.

"Okay. Then let's head to the presidential palace! Squall, do you know where it is?" Rikku asked.

"The presidential palace? We can take you there. Squall's had enough shopping for today I think he's ready to go home. "said Ellone as she patted her brother's back.

"Oh but we couldn't possibly..."

"It's no problem. A friend of Squall's is also a friend of mine. " said ellone as she winked at Squall and took Rikku by the shoulders and lead her away. Squall and the two other SeeDs following behind. Squall wondering on the way back why Ellone winked at him.

* * *

"Squall just who the hell are you?"Rikku asked him, her voice accusing. Rikku and the rest of his squad were awed the minute they stepped into the car, it was an elegant black sedan, and with a driver to boot. They were awed even more when they got out off the car and saw the front entrance of the Presidential Palace. They noticed that Squall and Ellone were being highly regarded by the palace staff as they walked along the palace halls. Squall and Ellone lead them to a sitting room.

"Your client is Kiros right? I'll call him." said Squall as he left the room. Ellone motioned for them to take a seat as she asked a maid to get them drinks.

"You don't, by any chance, live here do you?" Evan asked Ellone.

"As a matter of fact I do. Squall lives here too. When he's in Esthar, that is."

"I knew it. Squall's rich! He couldn't have bought his car with just his commander's salary." said Rikku as she sighed. She often drooled at Squall's sleek black sports car whenever she was at the parking lot. "So which Estharian official are you related to?" Rikku asked.

"Rikku, This is the presidential palace which means the president lives here. And if they live here too it means they're related to the president!" said Yumi, a girl with short brown hair who also passed the SeeD exam with Rikku and Evan. Rikku's eyes widened in shock.

"I'm just adopted, so technically it's Squall who's blood related to the president." Ellone smiled. "But I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone at Balamb Garden about this. Squall wants to keep it under wraps."

"Of course. No one would believe us anyway. Rikku maybe because they hang out all the time." said Evan. At this Ellone grinned.

"You hang out with Squall a lot?" asked the older girl.

Rikku nodded. "Well yeah, We have classes together and we eat at the same table at the cafeteria." Ellone grinned wider. "B-but its not just us, there's Selphie and the others too." added Rikku.

"I see." The doors then opened as Squall entered the room. He closed it behind him and sat on one of the chairs, next to Ellone.

"He's just finishing up some paperwork. He'll be here shortly. Have you heard from Garden?"

"No, not yet." said Yumi. Just then Squall's phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Xu what's up?" Squall listened to Xu's voice on the other line while Ellone, Rikku and the two other SeeDs looked at him. Suddenly Squall raised his voice. "You've got to be kidding me! He really said that? Isn't there someone else?" Xu began talking again. Squall looked irritated. Whatever Xu was telling him was probably not good news. "Fine, It's not like he gave me a choice!" Squall pressed hard on the red call button on his phone in flipped it shut. He crossed his arms in annoyance.

"What's wrong Squall?" Ellone asked. But before Squall could answer her, Evan's phone rang. He quickly answered it.

"Hello? Yes ma'am!" Evan then put his phone on speaker and placed it on the table.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Xu Masters. I've received word about your team and what happened to your other member. Unfortunately there are no Balamb SeeDs currently stationed in Esthar as they're all on missions. With the exception of one of course. Squall Leonhart will be replacing Arthur Douglas for this mission. Rikku Bennet, you will remain as the Squad Leader. Good Luck." As the call ended all eyes turned to Squall.

"So much for my vacation." Squall sighed.

* * *

When the new team, including Squall, met with Kiros, they were briefed about their mission. They were to infiltrate a supposedly abandoned Military Facility located just south of Tear's Point, near the border with Trabia. The Estharian Government had been tipped off that a group of unknown rebels had made a base of their own underneath the facility. It was not known if the rebels are from Esthar or from Trabia, or possibly from Galbadia, that is why Esthar's secretary of Defense, Kiros Seagul decided to hire SeeDs from Balamb instead to gather more information about the rebel group since if it was known that Esthar had been sending their troops to a Trabian Facility, it could lead to a political conflict. After they were briefed by Kiros, they were provided accommodations for the night since the mission was to start tomorrow morning.

Squall went back to his own room, and prepared his things for tomorrow. He took his gunblade out of its case. Squall ran his finger at the edge, it was as sharp as always. It didn't need any maintenance. He wasn't feeling sleepy yet, and decided to go out for a walk and get 'fresh' air. He took a case of cigarettes from his side drawer and left his room. He made his way through the halls when, he saw a familiar blonde girl, looking around the place. She was at an intersection looking very much lost. Squall made his way to the unsuspecting girl. The latter jumping in surprise when she noticed Squall.

"Squall! Geez, you scared me. Where you going?" Rikku asked.

"How about you? Can't find your way back?"

"Err... Yeah. Hehe. This place is friggin' huge! I went to get water and I think I took a wrong turn." She said, scratching the back of her head.

She didn't just took a wrong turn, she took a lot of wrong turns, Squall thought. The guest rooms were nowhere near the area they were at now.

"Need help?"

"Really? Thanks! But I don't want to keep you or something, you looked like you were going somewhere." she said.

"I was just going to get some air." Squall told her. Not a lot of people knew that he smoked and he liked to keep it that way. It was a habit he picked up a few months back.

"Oh can I go with you? I could use the air too! I need to calm down for tomorrow." said Rikku. She didn't look nervous at all, it was the opposite in fact. She was excited.

"No, I prefer to get some air alone." he said.

"But you're always alone! Come on Squall! Please? I wanna go around this place. I need a tour guide!"

"I don't know..." He began. But Rikku clung to his arm and caught him off guard. Did it suddenly get warmer?

"I'm not taking no for an answer!"

"Let go of me." He said.

"Nope! I'm not letting you go until you take me with you!" Rikku insisted as she clung tighter. She stared directly into Squalls eyes determined. Squall looked away and sighed in defeat.

"Fine." he said. There was no saying 'no' to Rikku, she was just so persistent.

"Yey! So take me to the garden or something! I bet the breeze is nice there." said Rikku as she let go of his arm.

They made their way to the Palace's Garden. It was beautiful, it was a sight to behold. The Flowers shone brightly under the moon. The Fountain could be heard cascading peacefully. Rikku had been right. The breeze in the garden was really nice. Squall sat on a bench near the fountain. It was the ideal spot for smoking. He couldn't be seen from the Palace since he was covered by the fountain. He took out his cigarettes. Rikku pouted at him when she saw the cigs.

"Eww, Squall you smoke?"

"Obviously." He felt his pockets up in search of his lighter. He forgot it in his room. "I don't suppose you have a lighter on you?" he asked.

"Nu-uh! Smoking is a filthy, disgusting habit! I can't believe a friend of mine smokes!" she exclaimed.

"What about Seifer and Irvine? They smoke too." said Squall.

"Yeah but, I expected better of you! You're a role model at the Garden. The Epitome of the Perfect SeeD!" She exaggerated.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that nobody's perfect?"

"True, True."

"Do you think less of me now?" Squall asked. Holding his breath for her answer.

"Well... No not really. I still think you're decent. You'd raise a level higher in my ranking if you quit though." Said Rikku as she smiled at him. Squall grinned. Rikku sat at the bench next to him. Squall held up a finger and concentrated, seconds later a small ball of fire came out and he used it to light up his cigarette.

"Wow. I've never seen anyone this adept at magic as you are."

"That's because you haven't seen Selphie in action yet." said Squall. Selphie, despite her size, was the most talented mage among them.

"Yeah I heard she kicks ass at magic. I kinda suck at it." she said.

"Not really."

"Really? You don't have to be nice."

She could tell he was lying. After all, Squall had seen her practice magic at the training room a few times. She could use level 1 spells no problem. It was the higher level spells she found difficult. But since she said he didn't have to be nice, might as well be honest.

"I've seen Junior Classmen who're even better than you." Squall said.

"Thank you for being honest, Commander!" said Rikku as she playfully smacked his arm. Rikku then sighed. "Me and Magic just don't get along that well."

Squall glanced at her, she seemed down about that fact. "You just need more practice."

"You think? I was at a normal school before I transferred to Trabia. So I guess I am inexperienced in Magic compared to the kids who grew up in the Garden.

"You went to a normal school? Did you get kicked out?" Squall teased, expecting another playful smack. But it didn't happen. Rikku looked serious all of a sudden.

"I'll tell you about that another time! Oh by the way Squall... You didn't tell me you were related to the president!" She changed the topic too quickly. He must have hit a sore topic.

He went along with his change of topic. "You didn't ask." he replied.

"I... Oh yeah, come to think of it, I never asked you about your family before. So your Dad is THE Laguna Loire huh. Then how come your last name's Leonhart?"

"My mother's last name." he told her.

"Why do you use your mother's last name?"

"It's a long story."

"I have time!" said Rikku. Usually if people asked him about his family, he would give them his infamous death glare and they would never go near the topic again. But this was Rikku, and they were friends right? He didn't think it was a big deal. He knew he could trust her with the story. And trust her he did, he told her all about it and they ended up talking until the wee hours of the night and for the first time in months since they met, they felt closer to each other.

* * *

a/n: Squall's OOC I know, I'm doing my best to keep him in character.


	12. Chapter 12: Captured

**Chapter 12: Captured**

* * *

Squall yawned for the nth time that morning as he rubbed his eyes. He still felt sleepy and was not able to get some coffee before they left early for their mission. He glanced at the backseat of the car where Rikku sat next to Yumi. Rikku looked as cheerful as always as she looked outside the window, gazing at the passing scenery with a smile on her face and not a look of sleep deprivation evident on her face. They ended up talking until 3 in the morning and they left at around 6. The sun had just risen and the street was empty. Squall thought about last night. He told Rikku something very personal and he didn't mind at all. He was really becoming soft. Which wasn't really a bad thing, his family and friends often tell him to loosen up. And now he did, and to Rikku of all people. It just felt weird, he was so used to keeping everything inside. He has changed quite a lot.

"Com... Err Squall?" called Evan. Evan drove the car they were provided by Kiros.

"What?" He could tell Evan felt uncomfortable calling him by his first name, but he had to. After all, he was just a SeeD like the rest of them.

"How long till we get to Berjaya?"

"It's still a bit far, around 20 miles." Berjaya was a small village in the North located in the border between Esthar and Trabia. It was at least 3 hours away from the city, and despite it being a part of Esthar, it wasn't technologically advanced like the rest of the cities in Esthar. In fact, it was a Fishing Village, hard to believe it was a part of Esthar. It was situated near Obel Lake and most of its inhabitants were fishermen. According to reports, The rebels frequented the village to gather supplies and to recruit more people.

"Evan let's switch. You've been driving for two hours now." said Rikku.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup! Pull over, Let's switch!" Evan pulled over to the side of the empty road. Rikku got out, Evan did the same as they changed seats. Once she was seated on the driver's seat. Rikku looked at the GPS and pressed a button as the display came out.

"So I just need to follow this green path thingy?" She asked Squall, pointing to a path on the GPS. Squall nodded.

"Yeah, just go straight for another 10 miles or so then...Ugh..." Squall almost bit his tongue when Rikku stepped hard on the gas. The engine roared as the car accelerated. Yumi and Evan who were seated at the back clung to their seat belts tighter. It hasn't even been a minute and already she was driving at 50 mph. Evan and Yumi looked scared, the latter closing her eyes and saying something like not wanting to die yet. Squall clung tighter to his seat too and glanced at the meter. She was driving at 90 mph, which was okay, given that the road was very empty, but she drove like a madman and even Squall got scared a bit.

Squall couldn't take it anymore. Xu would kill him if he died here, what with all the stacked up paperwork he left behind. "Rikku! Pull over!" he screamed.

Rikku looked at him, an surprised look on her face. "Huh? Why?" she asked. Oblivious to the scared looks on their faces.

"You want to get us killed? You drive like a maniac!" Squall told her.

"Y-yeah Rikku. Maybe I should drive again." said Evan, Yumi looked as if she would throw up.

"What? S'not like there's a speed limit here or something. And we'll get there faster!" she contested.

"R-rikku... Please." Yumi stuttered. Rikku faced Yumi and sighed as she slowed down and eventually pulled over.

"Wusses. Tch." Rikku opened the door and got out, slamming the door as she did so. Evan was about to go down too when Squall spoke.

"It's fine Evan, I'll drive." He said, getting out of the car and glaring at Rikku as they passed each other when they changed seats.

After a few minutes of Squall driving they were all quiet, Rikku broke the silence.

"No offense Squall, but you drive like an old man!" said Rikku. Evan snickered. "You too Evan, my Grandma drives faster than you do!" Evan stopped laughing. At this Yumi laughed.

Squall ignored Rikku's comments as he looked straight ahead on the road.

"Squall?" Rikku called.

"What?"

"Remind me to introduce you to someone!" she told him.

"Who?" he asked, confused.

"Fifth Gear!" Squall glowered at her. _Must not hit girls, _Squall thought.

Rikku seemed bored, or rather too hyper to just quiet down for the rest of the trip. She turned on the radio and switched stations at lightning speed. It was rather annoying.

"W-wait Rikku back track a bit!" said Yumi. Rikku raised an eyebrow but did as Yumi requested. "There stop! I really like this song". A love song was playing in the radio. Squall felt a tightening in his chest as he heard the all too familiar singing voice.

"Isn't this that singer, Angel? You're a fan of hers Yumi?"Rikku asked.

"Yup. I love her voice. This is a rather old song but this was her debut single." said Yumi.

"..._It's so hard to say. But I gotta do what's best for me. You'll be okay. I've got to move on and be who I am, I just don't belong here, I hope you understand. We might find our place in this world someday but at least for now, I gotta go my own way..." _

"First time I've heard this song. It's okay I guess. Just seems like a really sad song." said Rikku.

"Yeah, She said in an interview that this song was about her ex-boyfriend. They had to break up when she became a singer." said Yumi.

"My sister said that Angel used to stay at the Garden as an assistant to Dr. Kadowaki." said Evan. Rikku, Yumi, and Evan just transferred to Balamb this year, so naturally they didn't get to see her and had no idea about Squall's relation to her. Squall kept silent. Hoping that the song would end soon.

"Really? Whoa! Squall were you able to meet her?" Rikku asked.

Squall refused to meet her inquiring eyes as he kept his eyes on the road. His expression colder than usual.

"Yes." was his simple answer, hoping his tone would imply that he didn't want to talk about this. But this was Rikku, and Rikku never just stopped with one question.

"What was she like?"

"Ask Selphie. They were close." he quickly responded. Hopefully that would get her to stop talking. Rikku stared at him suspiciously. Clearly he was hiding something. Rikku wanted to ask him further, but refrained from doing so when she saw Squall's conflicted look. She leaned back to her seat and spent the rest of the trip in silence an amazing feat, for someone like Rikku. The look on Squall's face made her feel... something she couldn't quite understand.

* * *

A couple more minutes of driving through Esthar's vast plains and eerily empty dirt roads, They arrived at the small village. Squall parked the car a few meters away from the village's entrance to avoid suspicion.

"What's the plan, Rikku?" Squall asked Rikku. She glanced at him, and felt relieved that he was back to his normal self. She smiled at him and snapped back to her usual self as well.

"Feels weird! You waiting on my orders like some kind of Pawn! " She joked.

"Pawn?"

"Hmm well maybe not a Pawn you're too good to be just a pawn, a Knight maybe. And Evan is the Rook and Yumi is the Bishop! I'm the Queen of course. Hey I just thought of something! We could use that as our code names when we communicate!"

"You serious?" Evan asked.

"I'm always serious! Okay. So everyone has their communicators?" Rikku asked as she held up a small earpiece. Evan and Yumi took out their earpiece and put it on. Squall already had his earpiece on. "We'll separate into two groups." she continued. "The Rook and the Bishop will go around the village and ask the villagers about the rebels but be very discreet. Then me and the Knight will keep an eye out for any suspicious people entering the village." she said. How she could make a SeeD mission sound like a game was beyond Squall.

"Code names? Really?"they were chess pieces, for crying out loud.

"Hush my Knight! You must follow the Queen's orders! So everyone, we good?" said Rikku. Evan and Yumi nodded while Squall merely shrugged. "Okay then! Mission start!" Evan and Yumi headed off towards the village. After they disappeared into the town, Squall and Rikku got out of the car and walked off towards the village entrance. Squall slung a bag over his shoulder. His trusted gunblade the Lionheart inside it. Rikku placed her daggers on the holsters hidden behind her back in her belt, under her shirt. They had to remain conspicuous

"Hey uh, Squall?"

"Yes?"

"Err... What should we do?" she asked. She spouted orders at random earlier, but truthfully, she didn't have an idea on how they should proceed.

"You sounded so confident and even insisted on code names..."

"Yeah but honestly, I just wanna beat up the rebels and get this over with! That's the only thing I'm good at." she told him and at that he had to agree. She was the type to rush into things without a plan. The mission wasn't even about the beating the rebels, they were only tasked to gather info.

Squall looked around the small village, eyes turned to them the minute they entered. They must not get a lot of people here. He pointed at a small open air cafe, a bit dirty for his tastes but it looked like it was the only cafe in town anyway so they had no choice.

"There, seems like a good observation spot. We'll start there and keep an eye out for suspicious people, like you said and maybe ask around about how to go the lake." Squall said. Rikku nodded. They went to the cafe, took a seat. The other customers had their eyes on them a middle aged woman, wearing an apron, the waitress by the looks of it, came up to their table.

"Hi! What can I get you, dears?" said the woman, She seemed friendly enough, and she also was not like the locals, staring them down like an exhibit.

"Two Coffees please." said Rikku. They both had their head down, clearly embarrassed at the unwanted attention.

The waitress noticed this. "Sorry about all the attention. You see, we don't get a lot of Tourists here, as I'm sure you've noticed. Especially someone as young as the two of you. What brings you here to such a small village?" the waitress asked. Rikku looked at Squall and he quickly answered for them.

"We're on our way to Trabia, we're just passing through. " he said.

"Trabia? That would take hours and its dangerous. It would have been faster if you took a train at the Capital." said the waitress.

"Trains are kinda expensive and uh... err... I don't like riding them that much." Rikku lied through her teeth. Clearly she wasn't a good liar.

"We wanted to see more of the countryside so we decided on just driving." Squall followed up. Squall, Rikku noticed, was a very smooth liar. No hint of falseness in the way he spoke and carried himself, He was a pro.

"I see. Not much to see in this part of town. Of course, There's Obel Lake. Are you by any chance, heading there?"

"Yes."

"Oh I don't think you should. It's really dangerous there right now. Especially at midnight." She warned. Her face sank.

"Dangerous? How so?" Rikku asked.

The woman looked around at the cafe, and huddled closer to their table as she spoke in a whisper. "There are rumors going around that a group of rebels often pass through the lake, and kidnap tourists. They say that the rebels' base is near the Lake."

"Kidnap Tourists? For ransom?" Rikku gulped.

"Yes. But some of the Tourists never make it back alive. They're a very dangerous group." Tourists being kidnapped wasn't mentioned when Kiros briefed them for this mission.

"You're well informed." said Squall. The woman smiled at him.

"This is the only cafe in town. I hear a lot from the customers. Let me get your coffee." The waitress left their table and headed to the cafe's back.

Squall moved his seat closer to Rikku's motioning for her to lean in closer. He spoke in a low voice. "That woman seems very suspicious."

"How so?" she whispered.

"I just get the feeling."

"So what do we do now?"

"Probe for more information. She seems to know a lot for just a waitress in a rundown cafe." he said.

Rikku smacked him on the arm lightly. "Hey don't be like that. This cafe looks like crap but I'm sure it means everything to the owner." she scolded.

"Whatever. Just follow my lead. You're a terrible actress." Squall said, and that earned him another smack, this one slightly stronger.

"Well sorry for being such a bad actress! Remind me to add Acting 101 to my schedule next semester!" she said, her voice grew loud. Squall lifted a finger to his mouth and silenced her.

"Not so loud!" he whispered.

"Sorry." she muttered. "Squall?"

"What now?"

"You smell nice." she said, sniffing him like some kind of dog. What she said just now was completely random. She was like that sometimes. But it had caught Squall off guard and just now realized how close their faces were to each other, he felt his blood rush up to his cheeks as he jerked away quickly. Rikku slapped herself mentally. She couldn't help it, Because he really did smell nice, but she shouldn't have voiced it out just now. Squall looked angry. His face was red after all. At least, to her that's what it seemed like.

The waitress came back holding a tray with their coffee in it. She set it down on the table in front of them.

"How do we get to the Lake from here?" Squall asked. The blood leaving his face.

"You shouldn't go! I told you it's dangerous." the waitress said. She looked scared all of a sudden.

"Yes but, we've always wanted to go there." said Squall. The woman had an incredulous look on her face. Squall grew more suspicious of her.

"But..."

Rikku, sensing the woman's hesitation to tell them more, remembered something about the Lake. "There's a legend about the lake..." She began. Squall and the waitress stared at her. She spoke in a soft voice. " Long ago, a woman who lived by the lake met a man there at night. Even though they were opposites they fell in love with each other but they only saw each other during the night. The man couldn't keep lying to the woman anymore so he told her the truth about him. He wasn't human, he was a Guardian Force, the reason that he was only able to appear before her at night. The woman accepted him nonetheless, and because of her love for him she became a GF too. It is said that lovers who promise each other in the Lake under the full moon, will remain together always, just like the woman and the GF."

"You believe in that Legend?" the woman asked.

"I know it sounds really far off but..." She reached out across the table for Squall's hand and held it. Squall's eyes widened in shock. "I love him so much that I want it to be true..." she said as she stared straight to his eyes. Squall held his breath, lost for words, but instantly realized what she was getting at and smiled. He tightened his grip in Rikku's hand and placed his other hand on top of their hands. The woman looked at them both and sighed.

"It must be nice, to be young and in love."

"A lot of people are against our relationship but even though its just a silly superstition and its not even a full moon, we still want to believe in it." she said, Tightening her hand on Squall's too.

"Well... I did warn you about it being dangerous, but do me a favor and don't go there at night. I'll draw you a map..." she said as she smiled at them and left their table.

"I take back what I said about you being a terrible actress."

"What can I say? I'm a fast learner." she snickered. "We going?"

"Of course. But not until midnight."

"I'm all fired up!"

* * *

The Lake at night was such a sight to behold. The water's surface reflecting the moon's bright light. No wonder such a legend was born here. The place was an ideal spot for lovers. Squall, Rikku, Evan and Yumi met up earlier and came up with a plan. They split into two groups again, Evan and Yumi, hidden in the shadows waiting to ambush, while Squall and Rikku pretended to be adventurous tourists on a midnight stroll in the a Lake hoping to lure in the rebels. The lake was eerily empty and quiet. Squall and Rikku stood by the edge of the Lake, waiting.

"Where the hell are those damn rebels! It's about time they showed up." said Rikku. She knelt on the ground and was picking up small stones and throwing them to the lake.

"Maybe its their day off." Squall said. Rikku stared at him, her jaw dropped open.

"It was a joke." he said.

"I know! That's why I'm shocked! Didn't know you do jokes Squall!"

"I have a few jokes up my sleeves." Rikku's jaw dropped in surprise again.

Squall smiled. "Another joke."

"That's two in a row! Squall, you are human!"

"Took you this long to realize?"

"Seifer and I were betting about it actually. I bet that you were an android who's human feelings was forcibly taken from him, but deep down you just want to be loved in return." she said. At this, Squall had to laugh.

"Sounds like a rip off."

"I know, then Seifer bet that you just lack any manlike feelings but said manlike feelings were just hiding somewhere. So?"

"That sounds the same. Neither of you should win."

"Yeah I guess... But..." Squall heard something in the shadows, footsteps. He pulled Rikku up from her kneeling position and held her closer.

"You hear that? Evan, Yumi is that you?" he murmured in his communicator.

"_No, we haven't moved from our position. We heard it too. Be careful."_

Squall looked around their surroundings, Rikku did the same. It was quiet again. But then an ear splitting roar was heard and huge Behemoth came charging at them. Squall pushed Rikku aside as they both dodged the monster. He pulled out Lionheart from his holster and held it in both hands. The rebels then arrived, their faces covered by black masks, guns in their hands. There were at least thirty of them. This did not look good. Squall charged at the rebels on his right, knocking them down with his gunblade. Rikku did the same, charging at the enemies with her daggers. She managed to take down a few, but failed to see another one come at her from behind as a rebel fired a Thunder spell at her, it all happened so fast. Squall heard the spell and looked for Rikku. The spell was a weak one, and a SeeD would have no problem with it if it hit. But Rikku was on the ground, hugging herself, her eyes closed, a terrified look on her face.

"Evan, Yumi get out of here!" he spoke in his communicator. Squall slashed at another rebel as he dashed towards Rikku. Rebels were closing in on her.

"Rikku!" he screamed. He ran as fast as he could, getting there on time as he knocked back the rebels with a Blizzaga Spell. He knelt down and picked Rikku up. She was awake but her body was limp.

"S-squall... I'm s-sorry... I..." her face was panic stricken, but she didn't seem to be injured. Squall stood up, Rikku in his arms, they were surrounded. There was no way out.

"G-go. If you...leave me here... you can escape..." she murmured, her body shaking in fear.

"I won't leave you, ever." he said. His voice firm and resolute. More rebels came and surrounded them. Hopefully, Evan and Yumi managed to get out. Squall dropped his gunblade in surrender.

* * *

a/n: completely spazzed out. Forgot that Trabia was North of Esthar, not South. Haha. Sorry about the spelling and/or grammatical errors. Have I mentioned before that English is not my first language?

Rinoa's song is titled "Gotta Go my Own Way" by Vanessa Hudgens from the second High School musical film. I don't own it in any way!

Thanks for the reviews. They're not much but they do help me update soon. I base it on the hits the story gets anyway. But would it kill you to actually leave a review? signed or not? *Sigh*


	13. Chapter 13: Escape

**Chapter 13: Escape**

* * *

His whole body felt numb, he couldn't quite move and darkness was all he could see. Was he dead? That didn't seem to be the case, he could tell he had his eyes closed and he was lying down on what felt like a bed. He feared opening his eyes, afraid of what he might see, or afraid to see what happened to his body. He felt something attached to the back of his hand, an IV. He deduced he was in a hospital, the air smelled of meds, antiseptics and a faint smell of blood... he could hear machines, beeping in tune with his own pulse. Slowly and hesitantly, he opened his eyes. He was greeted by a bright white light as he adjusted to it. True enough, he was in what appeared to be a hospital room, an empty one to be precise. Now fully awake he examined himself, no body part seemed to be detached and that was a good thing. The numbness probably was caused by pain killers, lots of them, he must've gotten injured. But which part of his body, he wasn't sure. He tried to sit up, but failed miserably as his head collided with the pillow he was laying on. Why he was here, he had no clue. The events leading before this was a blur and the last thing he remembered was being in a forest, he was running, holding something warm in his hand, and then...

The automatic doors of his hospital room opened. A man in his forties with long dark hair entered his room, closely followed by a young woman, with short brown hair. His family.

Ellone's eyes widened when she saw Squall awake, she hurriedly made her way towards his bed and hugged him.

"Squall!" she squealed in excitement, hugging him in such a way that he was almost out of breath. His father Laguna, moved to stand on the other side of his bed, a huge smile on his face. He looked rather pale, Squall noticed.

"E-elle... Dad..." he said, his voice sounded hoarse and weak. Ellone let go of her hold on him as she brushed off a few loose strands of his hair from his face.

"Hey Squall. How're you feeling?" said Laguna. His voice was shaking a bit. Squall noticed his Father had deep bags under his eyes, he looked like he hasn't slept for days. He must've been in a very serious condition.

"Numb. My injuries..?" he asked, bracing himself as to what damage he had incurred.

"You've been unconcious for three days, you lost a lot of blood. Scraped shoulder, three broken ribs, sprained ankle, bruises and cuts all over your body and a deep gash on your stomach." Laguna told him. He moved his hand to his stomach and felt a bandage there, a rather big one. He softly pressed on it and he winced in pain. The wound was deep, no wonder he lost a lot of blood.

"They had to give you a transfusion, luckily you and Uncle Laguna have the same blood type so he became a donor." Ellone said.

He turned to his father. "Thanks." he mumbled. Laguna gave him a soft smile.

"No problem." he said, reaching out and patting his head.

"What happened to me, exactly?" he asked. Ellone and Laguna looked at each other, confused looks on their faces.

"You don't remember?"

"I remember I was running around a forest... Ugh..." Squall moaned in pain as he touched his stomach, he no longer felt numb, and was now beginning to feel the full extent of his injuries.

"The painkillers must be wearing off. I'll go call the nurse." said Laguna as he quickly left the room.

"Sis... what happened...?" he asked again.

"You should rest Squall..." she said.

"But..." the door opened again as Laguna came in, followed by a nurse. The nurse injected meds through his IV, and slowly he could feel his consciousness slipping away.

"Elle..." he managed to say. Ellone held his arm and whispered to his ear.

"It's okay. Get some rest. I'll make you remember." and that was the last thing he heard before he passed out again.

* * *

(Flashback)

The Rebels bound their hands tightly with thick ropes, it was almost painful. Two men took hold of him, as two other held Rikku. He glanced at her, worried. Her eyes were brimming with tears, threatening to fall. They put blindfolds on them as they were lead, or rather, dragged towards an unknown location, most probably their base, since he could smell gunpowder, grenades, and the smell of Behemoths. From the events earlier, it would seem that they were using the Behemoths as weapons. After a few minutes later, the rebels who held them stopped, and he could hear an automatic door being opened. He was dragged again, and pushed inside the room, where he collided painfully with the rough ground. He heard Rikku yelp as she was pushed as well, landing on Squall's leg. The rebels seperated them and removed their blindfolds.

The room they were in had no windows, the only door in front of them was made of steel, a very thick one, Squall noticed. The room had no furniture, but he could see metal chains scattered everywhere. This room appeared to be a room for prisoners. The rebels, with their weapons in hand, left the room, locking the door with a code on their way out. Squall tugged at the ropes, they were too tight for him to break free from. He stood up, looked for something sharp he could work with, but all that was left in the room were the chains. He knew it would be in vain, but decided to try it nonetheless. He closed his eyes in concentration.

"Fire..." he muttered. But nothing came out of his hand. The room had an anti-magic field. GF's would be useless in this case too. Sighing he sat down again, a few inches away from Rikku as he leaned on the wall. She was silent, she was just staring off into space, still shaking and sniffing. Seeing her like that made him feel so useless. Clearly something was bothering her, and he didn't quite have the guts to ask her what was wrong.

He cleared his throat and turned to her. "You okay?" he managed to ask. She simply nodded. "Are you hurt?" He asked again, Rikku shook her head. They sat there in silence, Rikku, still in shock, and Squall not really knowing what to say in a situation like this. After a few more minutes, he broke the silence.

"Evan and Yumi are probably safe, maybe they even made it back to Esthar. I'm sure reinforcements will come." He said. He didn't quite like the idea of being rescued, but his pride didn't matter now, Rikku did.

Rikku nodded and cleared her throat. "S-squall..." she mumbled.

"Yes?" he asked, relieved that she was finally talking.

She sniffed again as she spoke. "I'm sorry about earlier... If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be here..." She looked down on the ground, avoiding his gaze.

"It's not your fault, don't worry about it." He assured her.

"I... have astrophobia..." she blurted out.

"Oh... Is that why...?" Rikku nodded.

She looked up at him and continued."When I was a little girl, my older brother and his friend were practicing magic spells and I ran up to them in the middle of my brother casting a spell and I got hit instead. It was so painful and my dad said I almost died and since then I've been afraid of thunder spells... I become completely useless when there's Thunder, I don't even use it as a spell..." Rikku was still shaking. Her astraphobia was clearly deep rooted and very traumatizing for her.

"I see. But... how about thunderstorms? How do you get over them?" he asked, curious.

"My dad was always busy with work, so I'd just hide inside a closet or hide under the bed and cover myself up with thick blankets... But sometimes when my Dad was home, I'd sleep on his lap and he'd pat my head until I fell asleep..." she explained. Most of the time she dealt with it on her own and Squall felt bad for her. He knows very well what it was like to be dealing with things alone, it wasn't a very nice position to be in. Squall lift himself up and crossed the distance between them as he sat down next to her. Rikku raised an eyebrow in confusion. Squall patted his lap with his tied hands.

"What are you doing...?" she asked.

"Dealing with it alone must've been painful for you, and I know I'm not your dad but, I'm offering my lap if you want..." He managed to say. He just couldn't stand seeing her in such a state. Just what was wrong with him these days? He really has become soft.

"Y-you sure?" Rikku asked, still in disbelief.

Squall nodded. "Just don't expect me to pat your head, My hands are tied." He meant that literally.

"Squall, another joke? That's three in a day." Rikku finally laughed. He gave her a small smile, she looked better already. Rikku inched closer as she lay on his lap, closing her eyes as she smiled.

"Thanks Squall..." she muttered her breathing slowed as she relaxed.

"I'll get us out of here..." Squall said. She nodded again as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Squall hadn't realized he had fallen asleep as well. He woke up because the steel door opened. Three masked rebels entered the room and kept the door open, big mistake, Squall thought. He nudged Rikku awake as they both sat up and faced their captors. The rebel in the middle moved forward and spoke.

"I'm guessing that you two are not ordinary tourists." the man said. He had a rather large build, wore a mask on his face and wore protective gear. He had guns on his holsters. He looked rather sinister.

Squall and Rikku both kept silent. "Who sent you?" he asked. No answer. "Oh so you wanna play this the hard way huh? Why don't we start with the pretty blonde one." The large man motioned to the two other rebels. Squall instinctly moved in front of Rikku.

"Don't you dare touch her." he snapped at the rebels.

"Acting like a hero huh? Then we'll start with you!" The two rebels held Squall on both sides. The large man moved forward and grabbed a fistful of his hair. "Who sent you?" Squall didn't answer. The large man punched him on the gut as Squall winced slightly.

"Judging from the weapons you were carrying, you must be SeeDs. Which Garden are you from?" Squall didn't answer, and this earned him another punch.

"Stop it!" Rikku screamed, a worried look on her face. The large man ignored her as he punched Squall, two, three more times. "Bastards!"

The man grabbed Squall by his hair again and turned his head to face him. "Is it Trabia? Or Esthar?" Squall still refused to answer, the large man continously punched him, blood now streaming down his mouth. The large man then took out a small knife from his pocket, and held it to his throat. "You're not going to say anything, huh? Not even if I slit your throat?"

"If you slit my throat, how am I going to talk?" he said sarcastically. The large man smirked, dropping the knife from his throat.

"So you don't care what happens to you, huh? But I bet you care about what happens to her." he said, moving towards Rikku. Rikku stood up, and backed away, hitting the wall. The room was a small one, the only exit was blocked by the two men holding Squall. Rikku stopped, there was no point in resisting. Both her arms were tied and magic was useless.

The large man grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him. "Hmm.. Upon closer inspection, you're rather beautiful. It would be a shame to ruin that pretty face of yours. What If I make you my woman instead?" said the large man. Rikku's face twisted in disgust.

"Gross." she said.

"Quite spunky huh. I like that. It wouldn't be fun If you didn't fight back." He said, wrapping his arms around Rikku's waist as he licked her neck.

"Eww!" She screamed, as she struggled to get away from the man. She tried to kick him in the crotch, but the man managed to dodge it.

"Not my first time with a feisty woman you know. It's pointless to resist. I should just take you here now in front of your boyfriend since he refuses to speak. Or you could speak too, I'd go easy on you if you did..." said the large man.

"I wouldn't tell you a single damn thing, you big pervert!" she shrieked.

"Not telling too, huh? Then you leave me no choice..." Tha man grabbed the hem of her shirt and was about to lift it up when a banging sound broke out. Squall broke free from the two other rebels holding him down, and slammed the other's head to the wall with a kick as the man instantly passed out. The other tried to grab him but he dodged just in time as he swept the rebel's legs with a kick, the rebel landing on the ground with a thud. The large rebel took out his gun and aimed it at Squall.

"Squall, look out!" Rikku shouted. The man fired and Squall, with his quick reflexes dodged, but got his shoulder scraped. Rikku kicked the man's arm, the latter dropping his gun, as Squall dashed towards the man and kicked him hard on the crotch. The large man doubled over in pain. Rikku grabbed the gun with her tied hands and pointed it at the man.

"Should we kill him?" she asked Squall.

"Could you?"

"N-no..."

"I got this." he said. He concentrated and fired a spell from his tied hands and directed it at the man. "Stop." The man instantly froze.

"I thought there was an anti magic field." said Rikku.

Squall conjured a small fire spell and burned the ropes binding his hands. "There was. This guy was carrying the remote in his pocket. I just smashed it." he said. He grabbed Rikku's hands and summoned a fire spell again, Rikku broke out of the ropes.

"Oh so that's why you kicked him in the nuts. I thought that was a little unbecoming of you." she said.

"You kidding? I would've killed him instantly. But this guy seems to be the leader, we need him alive." Squall said. Rikku nodded in acknowledgment

"Weapons?" Rikku asked, looking around the room.

"Grab their guns. We'll look for our weapons. They must be somewhere around here." he said. Rikku gave Squall the large man's gun as she ran towards the two other unconcious rebels and took their guns.

"I'm not very good with guns." she admitted. She threw one of the guns to Squall, who caught it, and took the small knife instead. "I'm all set!" she beamed.

"Magic?"

"I still have a few offensive ones. Oh wait!" She made her way back to Squall and stood in front of him. She closed her eyes in concentration and breathed out. "Cure!" The wound on Squall's shoulder stopped bleeding. "Just a temporary fix. You still need to get that checked once we get out of here. Oh wait your bruises too. She was about to cast another cure spell when Squall stopped her.

"It's fine. Save it for later. It doesn't hurt that much. Despite his size, he punches like a little girl." he grinned.

"I bet. But your lip is bleeding though..." she said, she reached out and brushed the blood off his lip.

"I just bleed easily." he said, feeling himself blush a little at her actions, but slapping himself mentally for doing so. Shrugging, he continued. "We better get out of here before this guy starts moving again. Rikku nodded. The two quickly got out of their cell. The base was rather old, Kiros' intel was spot on. This was an old Military base, and even though the place was run down, he could tell that this was an Estharian base, by just looking at the interior. He's been inside Esthar's base, but this old one was comparatively smaller than the new one. Getting out would not be that much of a problem. They sneaked around the place, only a few guards were patrolling. Rikku was rather adept at stealth as he let her lead, and thanks to her, they managed to get past the guards without being seen. Eventually they reached an open area, it looked somewhat like a warehouse, with crates all over the place.

"Where to?" Rikku asked, running behind Squall.

"I had my gunblade modified by Dr. Odine. It has a tracking device in it. But I do need a phone to be able to track it's exact location."

"Wow, you can do that to your weapon? Hey can I have mine done too? Oh but, where do we find a mobile phone around here? They took ours too..." she said.

"Damn, that tracker's completely useless. I'll have Dr. Odine make me a new one." he said. Just then they heard a faint ringing sound. It seemed oddly familiar to him but he couldn't quite remember... "That's my phone! You hear that?" he asked. Rikku nodded.

"Looks like it's coming from that room." They dashed towards that room, pushing it open a little as Squall peaked inside. The room seemed like a bedroom, there was a small bed at the far back, and a dining table in the middle. Their were three people inside the room. A middle aged woman and two children.

"Momma, this phone won't shut up. I turned it off but it keeps beeping!" said the young boy.

"Ooooh. Magic! Magic!" the little girl squealed. Squall's eyes widened in recognition once he saw the middle aged woman's face. He fully opened the door and stepped inside.

"Y-you! That waitress at the cafe!" he blurted out. The woman quickly took hold of both her children.

"You're those tourists who asked me for a map... So you were the one they captured earlier..." she said.

"You're a rebel...?" The woman nodded, ashamed.

"Although it shames me to admit it, yes I am part of the rebel group..." she said.

"You say that as if you don't have a choice..." said Rikku. Suddenly, a siren sounded all over the rebel base. It seemed like an alarm of sorts.

"They found out you escaped." the woman said, quickly she shut the door pulled Squall and Rikku inside. "The guards will check every room. You two hide under the bed."

"Why are you helping us...?" Squall asked. Footsteps could be heard just outside the room and in a panic, Rikku forcefully dragged Squall and they hid under the bed were they remained as silent as possible. The door burst open and two guards entered.

"Lucia, the prisoners have escaped. We need to search this room."

"Why? It's just me and the children here, the prisoners are probably already out of the base." she reasoned.

"But it's protocol..."

"Do you suspect me of hiding prisoners here?" she said, raising her voice a bit.

The guard was a bit taken back. "N-no but we've been ordered to..."

"I don't care about your orders! You're scaring my children can't you see?" The two children remained behind their mother, not saying anything but they did look frightened.

"B-but..."

"Do you want me to report you to my son?" the woman said. The two guards gulped.

"Please don't! We'll go!" said the guard as he and his companion quickly left the room. The woman Lucia closed the door behind them turned towards the bed.

"You can come out now." she said. Rikku got out first, followed closely by Squall.

"Thanks for helping us. I don't get why you did though..." said Rikku.

"I've grown tired of my son's ways..." she sighed. Hugging her two children closer.

"I'm guessing your son is the leader?" Rikku asked. Lucia nodded. "That big, muscular guy?"

Lucia nodded again. "What does he plan on doing? Is he allied with the Galbadian rebel forces? Or is it with the Esthar rebels?" Squall asked. Rikku nudged him.

"Hey you can't just ask like that. This is her son we're asking about! Manners, Squall!" said Rikku. Squall glared at her.

"You seem to be forgetting about our mission..." he reminded her. They needed information about the rebels.

"Oh yeah..."

"I'd like to help you out, you both seem like good people but, I really don't know my son's plans. He doesn't tell me anything. He's changed a lot after the Second Sorceress War, he wasn't always such a violent man..." Lucia told them, frowning. "But even though I can't give you any useful information, I'll help you. The guards won't suspect me of letting you escape, the guards are too afraid of my son."

"Thank you! That's enough for me, I wanna leave this place already. Our weapons!" said Rikku. Squall looked around the room and saw the young girl holding on to his still beeping phone.

"Dear, give the man back his phone..." Lucia told daughter. The young girl shyly moved forward and handed back Squall's phone. He muttered a quick thanks and turned on his phone and pressed a few buttons.

"Our weapons are just a few meters away from us..." Squall said.

"You tracked it down?" Rikku asked, moving closer to him as she looked at the GPS on his phone too.

"If its your weapons you're looking for, I think I know where it is." Lucia said. She walked towards the dining table and pulled the chairs out of they way. She pushed the table towards the wall, and went back to the spot where the table used to be, she knelt down and tapped on the ground, a trapdoor opened. "This passage goes around the base, when you get down, walk straight and turn left at the first chance, eventually you'll find a small storage room, your weapons should be in there. Inside the storage room is another trapdoor on the ground, you won't miss it, it's slightly elevated, follow the path underneath and eventually you'll reach a cave that connects to the lake." she explained.

"This base connects to the Lake?" Rikku asked.

"Yes. But, are you two good swimmers? Because you have to swim at least 15 meters. The cave is underwater..."

"U-underwater?" Rikku gulped.

"Yes." Lucia walked to a cabinet and opened it, took a flashlight and handed it to Squall. "This flashlight works underwater, It's rather dark down there." she said.

"Thank you for your help. Rikku, let's go." Squall jumped down the tunnel, Rikku thanked Lucia and followed after him. Squall turned on the flashlight and handed it to Rikku.

"Hold it." he said. They walked along the dark tunnel, the passage was rather small, just enough for one person to fit in the path. Rikku grabbed Squall's shirt.

"Don't tell me you're claustrophobic as well?" he asked.

"Of course not. I just don't want to trip on something." she said. They continued walking in silence through the dark and eerie tunnel, eventually they came to a fork, they turned left, Just as Lucia instructed and found the small storage room, they both searched through the boxes and found their weapons soon enough. Squall knelt down and looked for the trapdoor, easily he was able to find it as it opened. He jumped down and heard flowing water nearby. Rikku jumped down as well, landing perfectly on her feet, but wobbling a little.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked her, his back turned against her as he continued walking through the dark cave. Rikku held on his shirt again.

"I... don't know how to swim!" she confessed.

"Seriously?" Squall asked, surprised at this new information. SeeDs did all kinds of training. How was it possible that she made it to SeeD without knowing how to swim?

"Yeah..."

Squall sighed. "Then just grab unto me. I'll swim. You can at least hold your breath right?" Rikku nodded. After a few minutes of walking they came across water. They continued walking as the water got deeper and deeper. When the water reached Rikku's shoulder, Squall stopped.

"C-cold." Rikku mumbled, her hand still attached to his shirt. Squall took the flashlight from her hands, and dove underwater. It was dark but he could see a small underwater tunnel. This must be it. He surfaced again and turned to Rikku.

"This is it. Ready?" he asked.

"I guess.." she mumbled. Squall handed her back the flashlight.

"Hold unto this and point it straight ahead." he said. Rikku nodded. She let go of Squall's shirt and wrapped one arm securely on his waist. Although this wasn't the time and the place, Squall felt himself blush again, the third time today. She was close, too close, and to top it off she was wet and felt warm against him. Shrugging the thoughts away, he took a deep breath, Rikku doing the same as they both dove underwater.

* * *

a/n: had to cut it here, 'twas getting too long. Lots of typos in this one, didn't edit it. Next update will be about 1-2 weeks. Reviews? No? Okay then!


	14. Chapter 14: Realize

**a/n: Yes, this story is still alive. I've just been busy, really busy. But I know that excuse sounds lame, but I swear it's true! Anyways, even if no one reads this, I still want to keep writing this story!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Realize**

Rikku lost track of how long she'd been holding on to Squall. She had her eyes shut tight, her arms wrapped around his waist from behind . Squall probably found it difficult to swim with the way she has been holding on to him. After what seemed like a really long time, she saw light through her closed eyelids, and almost immediately she could breathe again. She gasped for air, brushed the water from her eyes and opened them, Squall was catching his breath as well, more difficultly so.

"Rikku... Let go..." he muttered. Rikku also had her legs wrapped around his torso.

"N-no! What if I drown? Take me to land first!" she said, holding on to him tighter. Squall twisted her body to so that now she was facing him. Squall put both his hands on her waist, earning a confused look from Rikku. Quickly she yanked Rikku away from him, and dumped her into the water, Rikku gasped, throwing her hands all over the water, panicking, trying to grab hold of him again.

"Rikku, you're not drowning. Why don't you try standing?" said Squall. Rikku blinked and focused her attention on him. Squall was already on his feet, standing in the water, with an amused look on his usually stoic face.

Slowly she stood, blushing in embarrassment. She punched Squall lightly on his arm as she walked towards land. Squall followed after her, a small smile playing on his lips. They were back at the lake. It was still dark outside, but the slight chilly air told them that dawn was almost approaching.

As she got to the shore, Rikku stopped in her tracks and rid herself of excess water on her clothes. She glanced at Squall who was doing the same. Like herself, he was completely drenched. She blinked in surprise when he suddenly took off his shirt and squeezed the water out. She couldn't help but stare at him open-mouthed as he did so. She knew he was good-looking, but how much so, she wasn't sure but now, seeing him topless, and wet, his hair flat and drenched, water droplets running down his toned back and his chiseled chest, she felt her breath catch in her throat. Before she could hyperventilate, she turned away from him, and glanced at the forest behind them. It was eerily quiet. Only the sound of rustling leaves and a gentle breeze could be heard. From a distance, she could hear a faint roaring sound. Behemoths, she guessed. The rebels must've found out they had escaped and had their monsters scattered looking for them. Squall heard it too, as he put his wet shirt back on.

"Let's go." He said. He tightened his hold on Lionheart as he walked straight into the forest. Rikku followed after him, her hands resting on the holsters of her daggers. They trudged throughthe forest, occasionally running into weak monsters. After awhile, they heard it again, a Behemoth's roar, it was louder this time and it sounded like it wasn't just one Behemoth. The rebels were closing in on them.

"We have to move faster." Squall said. Rikku nodded, panting. Squall moved closer to her, raised his hand as it glowed, he closed his eyes in concentration and aimed his hand at her.

"Cure." He muttered under his breath. Rikku could feel the power of his spell envelop her body. She felt lighter, and could breath normally.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to, I don't need it." she told him. He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "Okay, maybe I did. But save it for when we both really need it." she said. She didn't think Squall could be considerate of others, didn't think he was paying attention to her and noticed the fact that she needed a cure spell. She felt... elated... or something running along those lines.

They moved faster this time, dodging weak enemies and outrunning them to save time. But they both couldn't keep it up for very long, they were both exhausted, events that happened earlier drained their strength and fatigue was catching up to them. Soon they both slowed down, Squall stopped running and turned to her, a worried look on his usually stoic face. Rikku stopped in her tracks as well and turned to him.

"What?" she asked.

"You should go..." he said.

She looked at him incredulously. "Go? You mean, run?"

Squall nodded. "I'll hold them off. You go ahead and go back to the town, I'm sure Evan and Yumi managed to get reinforcements." They both heard footsteps closing in on them. Squall concentrated magic on his fingers again, and fired it at Rikku.

"Haste, Shell, Protect, Bravery, Faith." He cast each spell successively, and felt the magic drain from his body. His knees almost gave out, but he pushed himself up, holding his gunblade with both hands.

"Squall! I'm not leaving you here! And why'd you cast supportive spells on me? You're supposed to use it on yourself!"

"Rikku, just go!" he said. Rikku's face reddened in anger.

"I'm not going anywhere! You think you can act all heroic and stuff like that with me? I'm not a helpless damsel! I'm a SeeD! I can still fight!" she screamed at him. Squall wanted to punch himself for thinking Rikku would just run like a normal girl would. This was Rikku. The Rikku he got to know would never back down from a fight. Wouldn't give up easily. "Squall, we'll both hold them off, okay?" Rikku said. Squall nodded, there was no point in arguing with her, she was a stubborn girl. They stood side by side, waiting for the enemy. Rikku cast every supportive spell she knew back to Squall. Squall felt himself grow stronger, even if just a little.

The part of the forest that they stopped at was a clearing, Squall chose the place to be able to fight properly without bumping into trees or whatnot. In a matter of minutes they were both surrounded. The rebels encircled themselves around them. It looked like forty, maybe fifty soldiers together with four Behemoths. This fight wasn't going to be easy. The rebel leader moved in front of his men, walking with difficulty, his hand on his crotch. He looked pretty pissed off. He took out a handgun and pointed it at them.

"This is the end of the line for the two of you, but I'm feeling a bit merciful, so why not just surrender and tell me who sent you?"

"Let's just get this over with." said Squall as he and Rikku both assumed a fighting stance, preparing themselves for battle.

"You'd rather die then? Fine. Any last words?" He removed the safety on his gun.

"Yeah I do! We're sorry about your balls!" Rikku smirked, Squall grinned too.

"Bitch! Get them!" the rebel leader roared. The rebels fired their guns, and dashed towards them. The two dodged bullets here and there, as they attacked back. Squall slashed all over the place, defeating every opponent with a single gunblade attack or a magic spell. Rikku did the same, her speed and agility gave her an advantage in battle, as she dealt with each opponent quickly. The first Behemoth rushed towards them, knocking down few of their own men. Squall summoned Shiva and the female GF cast Diamond Dust without hesitation. The Behemoth was enclosed in Ice, unable to move. Squall then cast a Thundaga spell as the Behemoth shattered to pieces. Rikku flinched a little at the spell he cast.

"Sorry." He called out to her. Rikku smiled at him.

"It's okay!" she shouted from across the field. "Incoming!" she pointed behind him. Another Behemoth came charging at him. Shiva cast another Diamond Dust at the beast and it was frozen in seconds. Squall readied another spell, but Rikku beat him to it.

"Aero!" The Behemoth flew a couple of meters up, and came crashing down with a loud thud as it broke to pieces.

Rikku was a good fighter, Squall noted. She was very much capable of protecting herself. But she does have to work on that phobia of hers. They managed to fight off almost half of the rebel forces, a little more and they'd be able to win this battle. Two more Behemoths charged at them, Squall fought off one. He leapt unto the air, charged his magic in Lionheart, and swung down with such force. The Behemoth was sliced in two, and fell to the ground with force that some of the rebels were caught up in it. Rikku gave him a thumbs up, as she too leapt unto the air and closed her eyes in concentration.

"BELIAS!" she summoned the fire GF wanting to finish it in one blow. The Half-human, half-monster GF raised his staff and used his most powerful attack, Firaja. The remaining Behemoth on the ground was instantly covered in flames, and the monster burned down in a matter of seconds. Some of the rebels who saw this, ran at the sight of Belias and his power. A few more Firaja spells and Belias dissappeared. Rikku fell to the ground panting, exhausted. Summoning the GF drained the last of her strength. It was a good thing that only a few rebels remained. Squall moved towards Rikku, parrying attacks intended for her, as he defeated the remaining rebels. Only the leader remained. They both turned to the rebel leader, ready to strike. The rebel leader then started laughing.

"Ha! You think you've won? I think not! I I won't let myself be captured here! Not by SeeDs!" He shouted. He took out a small switch. "See what this is? The whole Forest is covered in explosives! They'll go off once I press this button!" he threatened.

Rikku and Squall stared at each other and grinned. "Oh Man! I've seen this scene a dozen of times in Movies! Think us SeeDs aren't prepared for this kind of stuff? Think again!" said Rikku. Squall quickly dashed towards the leader, moving with such speed that the latter didn't see him coming. He kicked the man's hands, and the remote and his gun fell to the ground, Squall reached for the remote and smirked.

"Easy." He said. The rebel leader fell to the ground, scared and defeated.

"Look how the tables have turned, Mr. Rebel leader." said Rikku.

The rebel leader then stood and started running. There was no point in running, he was just delaying his inevitable capture. Rikku could still move, as she ran after him, Squall following behind her. It happened so fast they both didn't expect it. When Rikku grabbed the man's shoulder, the man turned to face her and he had a dagger in his hand, the man stabbed Rikku, or he would have... but Squall was faster, he got in between Rikku and the dagger, earning him a deep gash in his stomach.

"Squall!" Rikku gasped, Squall sank to his knees, clutching his wound. Rikku moved towards Squall, and held him, putting his head on her lap as she tried casting a cure spell but failed to do so, she didn't have any strength. The rebel leader then dashed for the remote.

When he got hold of it, He laughed. "I lied! There are no bombs here. There are monsters though." He pressed the button, and the earth started shaking. A roar could be heard, followed by a couple others. Behemoths, again. The rebel leader left them there, as he ran as fast as he could, towards a chocobo left there by one of his men. He rode the chocobo and disappeared out of sight. The Behemoths were charging towards them.

"Rikku, get out of here." Squall mumbled in between pants. He was loosing a lot of blood.

"Squall shut up! I'm not leaving you here." she said. She was shaking, was it fear of what was to come? She pulled Squall into her arms, holding him tighter. "Squall, if we die here, I want to thank you for all your help." she managed a smile.

"We're not gonna die." Squall tried to assure her, but his voice was shaking too. Was this really it for them? He tried to draw on his strength, a spell or a summon, he couldn't do it, he was too weak and exhausted and bleeding.

"Damn, I'm too young to die. I don't want to die a virgin!" she screamed, frustrated.

Squall, though bleeding through his stomach, managed to blush. "I didn't have to hear that."

"Yeah, well you did anyway." she smiled. Rikku buried her face into Squall's hair. "I'm not letting us die here." she muttered. The Behemoths found them. Squall pushed himself up on a sitting position, Rikku still holding on to him. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug as he closed his eyes and waited. Rikku did the same, a single tear rolled out her eye. The last thing they remembered was seeing a bright, blinding light before they both blacked out.

* * *

When he woke up he still felt numb. Next to his bed, he saw Ellone sleeping. She sat on a chair beside his bed, her arms and head leaning on his bed. He sat up on his bed, rousing Ellone from her sleep.

"Hey Squall..." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "You feeling better?" his sister asked.

"Yeah. How long have I been out?" he asked.

Ellone glanced at her watch. "You slept the whole day, you seemed so exhausted. Uncle Laguna had to go back to work, but he said he'll come visit you tomorrow."

Squall nodded. "Sis, what happened after that? That past you showed me?" He asked. Ellone could only take him to the past he had seen, so the fact that the 'dream world' ended with that blinding light, means that it was the last thing he had seen before being knocked out.

"Well... I only heard it from Uncle Kiros but, When his men almost neared you, they saw a bright light, and when they got to you, the Behemoths were all dead, no injuries or blood on them. I don't know the exact details. Dr. Odine is researching it though. You should talk to him about it." she said. Weird. Could that light have come from him? From Rikku? Or both of them? He stopped speculating and decided to just ask Odine about it.

"Rikku!" he suddenly said. "Is she alright?" He asked. Ellone smiled at the worried look she saw on his brother's face.

"Yes. Although, she hasn't woken up yet. It's been two days. The Doctor said that she used up almost all of her strength. But she's okay, just a couple of bruises here and there." she said. Squall nodded his head in relief. The thought of Rikku being hurt was... unbearable. Why did he feel that way though? He knew he cared for Rikku, she was a friend and all, but was feeling this way about a friend normal?

"I want to see her." He managed to say. It took courage for him to say it out loud. Elle's smile widened.

"Okay. I'll help you!" She said. Was it just him or did she sound excited? Ellone helped him up and led him out of his room, and into the front door of the room next door.

"Squall, can you stand by yourself?" Elle asked. He broke away from his sister and tried standing on his own, his wound hurt a bit, but otherwise he felt fine.

"Yes." He said. He turned to face the door and stopped. He hesitated. If Rikku woke up, what would he say? what would he do? His thoughts were in a complete mess. He had speculations and guesses on what he had been feeling since the SeeD party but... He couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Ellone, noticing the conflicted look on his face, patted him on the shoulder as she used her other hand to open the door.

"Squall, you're very aware of what your feeling, you just haven't admitted it to yourself yet. You should just be honest." Ellone said, as she pushed him into the room, and closed it once he was inside.

Confused at his sister's words, he turned to face Rikku's bed as he pushed his legs to move closer. She was still asleep. He studied her, she looked really tired, but like Elle said, she didn't look that bad, a few bruises here and there, but nothing that would permanently stay. Once again he felt himself feeling what he did earlier when she found out she was okay; relief.

He closed the distance between him and her bed. She was breathing normally, which was good. She had strands of her hair clouding her face. Squall, without thinking brushed them away with his fingers and tucked it under her ears and felt his fingers tingle. His eyes widened at the internal revelation. "Damn!" he thought as finally it dawned on him, the weight of Ellone's words crashed down on him. The feelings he'd been having, the emotions he thought he had forgotten, he finally realized what it all meant. The loud, perky, blonde (beautiful) young woman sleeping peacefully in front of him had become not just a friend to him, but something more than that. He had fallen in love with her.

He started stringing all of the swear words he knew through his mind.


	15. Chapter 15: Awareness

**Chapter 15: Awareness**

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"...we've sent a team to investigate that forest in Berjaya. The rebel leader was lying about the explosives..." said Kiros.

"That's good. What happened to the other rebels who weren't able to escape?" asked Ethan.

"We have them in custody. We've interrogated them but they just won't budge. One of them even took his own life just this morning."

"What about the women and children inside the rebel base?"

"The women are... well they're considered rebels too so they're under interrogation. The children are currently being taken care of in a separate facility." Kiros sighed. At this information, both Ethan and Yumi sighed.

"So what are we going to do now?"

"Currently, some of our spies are tracking the location of the rebel leader and his men. He goes by the name Arthur Wilson. He used to be a Galbadian naval officer but he was fired on grounds of extortion. Once we have an update on his location, we'll hire SeeDs again, with Squall's consent, of course." said Kiros. He turned to the young man seated across from him, who wore a dazed look. He cleared his throat. "Squall?"

Squall snapped out of his reverie and turned his attention to the three people in the room with him. Evan and Yumi stared at him weirdly, while Kiros had an amused look on his face.

"Uh... What were we talking about?" he asked. Evan and Yumi both gaped at their commander, surprised that he hadn't been paying attention.

"You alright? Maybe you should get more rest, you just got out of the hospital." said Kiros.

'I'm fine. Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind." Squall said. He reached across the table and grabbed the nearby file and absently browsed through it.

"Like what?" Kiros asked. He was smirking now. This was a so-called 'Squall moment' that Laguna would surely like to hear about. The usually attentive, observant, and serious SeeD commander was not paying attention. This was definitely a first.

"Some... things..." he mumbled as he continued skimming through the files. He was lying, he wasn't really thinking about things, well he was thinking... but it was just a thing, singular, that thing also happens to be a girl, a girl who just became a friend a couple of months back, a girl he (although he won't say it out loud) enjoyed hanging out with, a girl with long wavy blonde hair that he would very much like to run his hands through, green eyes that he could stare at all day, and a body that he'd very much like to... He abruptly stood up from his seat.

"Maybe I should take it easy for awhile." He said. He muttered a quick apology and left the meeting room in a hurry. Leaving the rest of them with incredulous looks on their faces.

What the hell was happening to him? He couldn't focus and could only think of Rikku these days. While strutting out of the briefing room, he searched his pockets for his cigarettes, and made his way to the garden in quick strides. Maybe smoking could help calm him. He passed through maids and bodyguards in a flash, not greeting them. He made his way to the Garden and ordered a bodyguard nearby to leave. The bodyguard left him, a bit shocked at the presidential son's rude behavior. He was usually polite with the palace staff. He lit a stick and inhaled deeply. The effect was instantaneous. He finished a stick soon enough. He lit another one, and put it into his mouth, letting it hang there. If Rikku saw him smoking, she'd surely tell him off.

There he goes again, thinking of Rikku. So is that how it's always going to be now that he has realized how he feels about her?

He finished another stick, pulling out a new one from his pack, when a rustling in the bushes caught his attention. His hands automatically reached for his holsters, which he wasn't wearing. He had his gunblade up at his room.

"Who's there?" He called. The rustling grew louder; he braced himself for an attack, but nearly doubled over in his seat when a black cat stepped out of the bushes.

He sat back down again. The cat moved towards him, purring and nuzzling his leg. He reached down, and patted the cat's head. The cat turned over on its back, purring. For a stray, the cat was of a good breed. It had soft and shiny, fluffy black fur, green eyes that kinda reminded him of Rikku's, and the cat didn't smell at all. He absentmindedly continued patting the cat, enjoying it a little. The cat was friendly enough and although he wouldn't be caught dead saying it, it was a cute cat. He picked up the cat and it settled on his lap, purring in contentment. The cigarette hanging on his mouth, quite forgotten. It was only when the cigarette fell on the ground that he remembered it was still lit; he bent down to pick it up, when someone, a foot, specifically beat him to it. The said foot stepped on his cigarette. When he looked up his blue eyes met with an all too familiar set of green eyes.

"Rikku!" he said in alarm. He didn't even feel her approaching. She smiled at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She wore casual clothes, loose sweat pants, and a plain t-shirt. Her bandages were still there, but the wounds were definitely healing. Squall turned his attention back to the cat, and cursed mentally when he realized the glint in Rikku's eyes.

"I... he stammered.

Rikku grinned. "Didn't know you liked cats Squall!" she said.

"It came up to me and started nuzzling my leg and I just... Wait! You're awake!" He said, a bit stunned at his own slow realization.

"Well, duh! I actually woke up like, thirty minutes ago! I was looking all over for you! Then I saw Evan and Yumi and Mr. Kiros and they said you went to get some air and I figured you'd be here smoking! I guessed right!' she said, quite pleased with herself for finding him so fast.

"Why are you looking for me?" He asked. He felt the beating of his heart go faster at her close proximity.

"Nothing really. Just wanted to see you..." she said. Rikku motioned for him to scoot, and he did so without thinking as Rikku sat next to him, patting the black cat on his lap.

"Whose cat is this? Seems pretty tame..." she said.

"Don't know. Might be a stray." he replied.

"Oh yeah? I've always wanted a cat." said Rikku. She held out her hand to the cat as she picked it up from Squall's lap. The cat started nuzzling its face in her lap. Rikku turned the cat on its back. "Oh it's a boy!" she squealed in excitement.

"You want to keep it?" He asked.

"Can I? Oooh I really want to but Hailey is allergic to cats..." she sighed.

He spoke even before he thought it through. "I can keep it in my dorms if you like, that way, you can always visit it." He gave himself another mental slap. His emotions were acting crazy today, and the cause was sitting next to him, dressed in casual, unflattering clothes but somehow she looked beautiful to him.

"Really? " She squealed. She grabbed his arm in excitement. "You would do that for me?"

"Of course not." He lied. Rikku smirked at him.

"You just want to keep the cat to yourself, huh?"

"Maybe." He answered. He wasn't really into cats but, heck, if it'll mean Rikku would be visiting him more often, then he was up for it.

"What're you going to name him?" she asked. She picked up the cat from his lap and hugged it.

"I don't know."

"Well, 'Idon'tknow' seems like a lame name! Can't you come up with something else? And please don't give him a cliché cat name like Mr. Whiskers or something!"

Rikku smiled at him again, and Squall felt his heart skip a beat, again! It was like he was going through puberty again. Maybe Seifer was right in giving him the nickname.

"Then you give it a name." he mumbled.

She pursed her lips in concentration, she looked cute like that, Squall thought. "How about 'Hotdog!'?"

"Huh?"

"It's unique; it sounds more like a dog's name. And we'll both be taking care of it, and I kinda owe you like, a gazillion hotdogs! So that way I won't forget what I owe ya!" she said, she sounded like a little kid. Squall had to grin at that. She thought of the silliest things sometimes. One of the reasons he probably fell in love with her.

"Hotdog." He said to the cat. The cat responded with a purr. It seems to like it. "Hotdog it is." Rikku smiled at him again, and he felt the same thing as earlier. At this rate, he was going to die of heart palpitations.

* * *

Squall finished packing his things. Made sure he had everything he needed for the trip back to the Garden. Their team had been dissolved. Rikku, Evan and Yumi left last week. Kiros would hire them again as soon as a strategy had been made. He still had 1 more week of suspension but decided to spend it in Balamb instead. He was growing bored of life in the presidential palace. His Father had been understanding, but a bit sad that he would be leaving. Elle, was depressed. She didn't want him to leave yet, but Squall promised his sister that he'd visit more often if he can. He grabbed one of his bags and he gave it to a waiting bodyguard as he followed after him. Hotdog jumped on him and he managed to catch him. Right, the cat. He almost left him. Rikku would skin him alive if he forgot to bring the cat with him.

On the way to his car, he saw his Father and sister waiting for him. Laguna was smiling widely, Elle was too.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked them.

"You look so cute carrying the cat! Elle, take a picture of him!" said Laguna. Ellone pulled out her phone and pointed it at Squall, the latter attempting to stop it, but realized he had a cat on one hand, and a bag on the other. He wasn't able to stop it. He heard the shutter sound and sighed. Great, blackmail material, he sighed.

He gave the cat to a bodyguard, the latter putting hotdog inside a cage. He turned to his father and sister, Elle pulled him into a hug and he returned it. He would definitely miss Ellone, but definitely not the shopping trips she always took him on. A teary-eyed Ellone let go of him and sighed.

"I won't be gone that long, sis." He said. By the way they were acting, it was as if he wouldn't be going back to Esthar again.

"I know... It's just that, once you get back to your commander duties, you'll be busy again..." She frowned.

"I'll try to take a leave from time to time." He said. Ellone smiled at him, but could tell that he just said that to appease his sister. He turned to his father and extended his hand.

"See you." Laguna shook his son's hand, sighing as well. He pulled his son into a quick hug, a bit afraid that he would pull away. To Laguna's surprise, he did not.

"Take care of yourself, son." He said the last word with endearment. He would have liked to have spent more time with his only son. Squall, though he might not admit it out loud, had changed for the better in such a short amount of time. It was just a little over a year ago when Cid and Edea brought Squall to him, the couple in tears over Squall's behavior. It pained him to see his son in such a state. Broken, uncaring, and irrational. He shut himself off, got into meaningless fights, and came home drunk almost every night. He used to be a cry for help. But look at him now, despite the latest suspension from his SeeD duties, he looked a thousand times better than he did before. It's funny how only a year can make so much difference. And as shared to Laguna by Ellone, He should be thankful to a certain blonde SeeD who was partially responsible for the change in his son.

After saying his goodbyes to his family, Squall got on the car as it drove off towards the airport. The drive from the Palace to the airport was short and uneventful. The driver unloaded his luggage from the car as he entered the airport, carrying Hotdog's cage himself. The cat was friendly to him and Rikku, but was very fierce with strangers. The cat refused to be carried by none other than him, and all throughout the trip to the airport, it was constantly making angry hissing noises. He proceeded towards the check-in counter, a number of people were already in line.

"Sir, you don't have to fall in line." said the bodyguard. As the president's son, Squall was entitled to certain luxuries, one such luxury was never having to fall in line in government controlled and operated facilities. But he never did like using such privileges, he hated it in fact.

"It's fine. And you don't have to carry my stuff for me, I can do it myself." He said in his usual cold tone.

One of the guards swallowed nervously. "B-but we were instructed to assist you Sir..."

"Yes, but I don't want you to. In fact, you should go." He pressed. He was starting to get annoyed at the guards. They know very well that he was more than capable of protecting himself.

"But Sir... The President said..."

"I said go." He said, glaring at them. The two guards looked at each other and sighed. They dropped Squall's luggage in front of him, bowed and excused themselves. Squall sighed too. He told Laguna he didn't need any guards when he was in Esthar but his father was insistent. The cons of having a father for a president.

"Is the young master having trouble with his guards?" said a male voice from behind him. Squall turned to face the man and was surprised to see who it was.

"Irvine? What are you doing here?" Squall asked. Irvine wore casual clothes, khaki jeans, a white shirt, denim jacket minus the cowboy hat. He hadn't been wearing it recently, which was weird considering he wore the hat like a uniform. He had a duffel bag on one hand, and his mobile phone on the other.

"I attended an Instructor's training at Esthar Garden, you sent me remember?" Irvine said.

"Oh right. I did send you." He said. Irvine raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You forgot...?" He asked him.

"A bit... yeah." He muttered, slightly embarrassed that he had forgotten about it. They got to the check-in counter, got their boarding pass and left their luggage at the counter. Irvine noticed the cage and was again surprised.

"A cat...?" He asked Squall.

"Yeah..."

"Yours?"

"I guess..."

"Ohh.."

"Rikku..."

"Huh?"

"She made me adopt him..." said Squall.

Irvine grinned. "Oh that makes sense..."

"What do you mean?" He asked the taller man. Irvine shook his head as he continued on to the boarding gate. Squall following behind him.

When they got to the plane, the flight attendant showed them to their seats and they settled in. Irvine tucked his phone in his jacket and noticed Squall still had his phone in his hand. Squall was typing quickly and after he stowed his phone back into his pocket, he took it out and typed quickly again before he finally shut it off. Irvine, for the third time that day, was surprised by his friend's behavior.

"You're texting!" he exclaimed. It was a known fact that Squall was not into texting. In fact, he rarely used text messaging and just resorted all the time to voice calls.

"Yeah, so?" He said, oblivious to the surprised look on the gunman's face.

"But you don't text." He said it as a fact.

"Well texting can be quite... handy sometimes." He said.

Squall was definitely acting weird today, Irvine concluded. But then he remembered that his friend just spent two weeks with Rikku Bennet. He couldn't help but giggle like a schoolgirl at the realization. Could Squall have realized his feelings for Rikku? He mentally shook his head, that seemed pretty far off.

"What?" Squall asked.

"Squall by any chance, have you... Err... Never mind..." said Irvine. If he asked Squall directly, he would probably deny it, and get angry at him.

The two were quiet for the first couple of minutes after the plane took off. Squall would ask about his training, and Irvine would answer. Irvine wanted to ask him about something else, but would stop and talk about something else instead. He asked Squall about the mission, the latter telling him about everything that had happened.

"How's Rikku?" Irvine finally asked, unable to restrain himself. He readied himself for Squall's cold response but was surprised (once again) that his response was anything but cold.

"She's fine, her injuries are healing. She went back to Balamb a few days ago." He told him. The way Squall spoke about her, confirmed his earlier suspicions.

"I see... Uhmm Squall?"

"Yes?" The flight to Esthar and Balamb was not a long one, in an hour, they would be landing and once they got to Balamb, he wouldn't get the chance to ask him again. There was a high chance that Squall would get mad, but he was willing to risk it.

"Squall, What do you think about Rikku?" He asked him. He wanted to ask a more direct question, but opted to take it slow.

"Rikku? Well she's a great fighter. Light on her feet, fast reflexes, excellent mastery of her weapon, decent summoner but she really needs to work on her magic casting." Squall told him, as if making a SeeD report.

"Not about her fighting abilities... I wanted to ask you what you think of her, like as a girl?"

Squall was a bit taken aback by his question, but to Irvine's relief, he didn't look mad. "Well She's... rather crude for a girl. She swears a lot." He said.

"Not like that... I mean..." Squall can be so slow about things like these. He had no choice but to just tell him straight. "Squall, you have feelings for Rikku." He finally managed to say. He readied himself for the angry denial that he was sure would come from the SeeD commander, but instead Squall looked at him, and sighed.

"I do..." He muttered.

"You do?" He asked, surprised at his friend's answer.

" I just realized a few days ago." said Squall. His usual stoic face was gone and was instead replaced by a worried look.

Maybe Squall didn't understand him, Irvine thought. He tried again. "When I say feelings, I mean of the romantic kind."

Squall looked at him a bit offended. "I know. I'm not that clueless.." He told him. Squall should have known Irvine would realize it before he did. Irvine had a laid back personality, but the gunman was very aware of the feelings of the people around him. He was very perceptive.

Squall was very aware of his feelings, and this surprised the cowboy once again. Squall really had changed. Irvine noticed that Squall started to change when Rikku came to their lives. Their other friends were quite oblivious to Squall's growing attraction towards the blonde girl, but Irvine noticed it, and kept it to himself all this time.

"So have you told her?"

"I'm not gonna tell her..." He shrugged.

"Huh? Why not?"

"I'd rather keep her as a friend and she might not like me that way." said Squall. He sounded so sure of this. Apparently, Squall has not noticed that out of the guys in their group, Rikku regarded Squall differently. But then again, only Irvine noticed it among their group.

"You could try. She might actually like you back..." said Irvine.

Squall shook his head. "I don't think so...But even if she did, and we got together but things ended badly... I don't want to go through something like that again..." Squall admitted. Squall had probably been plagued by this thought for days now. Irvine could understand why he felt this way. Squall had it rough as a child, being orphaned at a young age, being abandoned, going through the last sorceress war, and after what happened last year, it was very understandable that he felt the way he did.

"I guess If you feel that way... But what if..." he began to say. "What if Rikku actually feels the same about you? She feels very comfortable with you, and can be herself around you. With us other guys, me Zell and Seifer, she's more like a girl, she keeps a certain distance but when she's with you, she acts more natural, more open."

"Open? Like how she makes fun of me most of the time?"

"Exactly! She plays with you man, sure she teases us too but you, even more so!"

"And because of that you deduced that she likes me?" Similar to young teens, teasing their crushes and the like. Squall laughed inwardly, if that were the case, that would make the both of them. Acting like pubescent kids.

"Trust me man, she likes you. And I know it's not my place to tell you to go for it but, you should observe how she treats you... I'm telling you, she treats you differently..." Irvine said. He picked up a magazine and started reading, their conversation seemingly over. It left Squall with a lot of questions in his mind. Was Irvine right? Does Rikku actually like him too? How easy would it be if that were the case. But still, he refused to believe it, not yet anyway. He'd take Irvine's advice and observe for awhile. Irvine was usually right about these things but maybe, just maybe, he was wrong this time.

* * *

**A/N: It took forever, I know. Still hopeful that there are people out there reading this, but I can't make promises on the next update but I swear I'll be back!**


	16. Chapter 16: Stupid Male Hormones

**Chapter 16: Stupid Male Hormones**

Squall had been locking himself inside the confines of his room, a day after he got back from Esthar. This was to avoid the irritating gossip mongers that were spreading ludicrous rumors about his recent suspension. One such rumor was about him getting suspended because of a drug problem, one was about how there was still conflict between the former rivals and Seifer's recent promotion had somehow caused Squall to be worried about Seifer possibly taking over his post. He brushed the rumors off; they were stupid and untrue but still were rather annoying. One particular rumor he heard while buying food from the cafeteria, which pissed the hell out of him and caused him to hide from the general public, was something that involved Rikku. The rumor was that Rikku was a loose girl, seducing both him and Seifer, which caused the two to fight. He didn't mind the rumors about him, but Rikku was a different matter. She didn't have anything to do with it and was completely innocent. It irked him that all he could do was hide in his room, unable to protect her from such rumors.

Rikku, he sighed. In the course of his self-imposed imprisonment, he never got to see her much. The last time he had seen her was a few days ago, at the cafeteria. It was just a quick hello; Squall had dashed out of sight, muttering something about being late for his class. He didn't want to admit it but, he wanted to see her badly, but since Irvine made such a good point about observing Rikku for awhile, he did so from a distance.

After taking a quick shower, he grabbed a Soda from his fridge, popped it open and sat in front of the t.v. He would be resuming his duties in a few days and he would get as much R&R as he needed before then. He turned on the t.v, flicked through the channels quickly, watching a certain channel for a few minutes then switching on to the next. He did this for a half hour, it was only 11 in the morning and already he was bored, he still had a long day ahead of him. Normally, he would get some training done, but that would require him to get out of his room and be seen. Plus, he promised Ellone and Laguna that he would let his wounds completely heal first before he resumed to his SeeD duties. He stretched himself unto the sofa, drinking and watching a sports channel which wasn't really all interesting to him, but then again he was so bored. Maybe, just maybe, he'd fall asleep on his couch, that would definitely kill some time. He waited for sleep to come to him, but after a couple of minutes, it still wouldn't come. Hotdog jumped unto the couch and settled himself on his chest purring. He ran his hands on the cat's fur. It was rather soothing, he realized. Maybe this would make him feel sleepy. But before he could test that out, his doorbell rang and was instantly followed by three sharp knocks on his door. He got to his feet, the cat jumping out and settling on the now empty couch as Squall made his way to the door. His breathing got caught up in his throat when he opened the door and saw Rikku, face flushed and heavily breathing.

"What?" He managed to say, his voice cracking a bit, Rikku not noticing as she leaned on his door post breathing heavily, he couldn't help but let his eyes travel from her face to her neck, where sweat was running down and into her collarbone then into her... Damn! It was November, why the hell was she wearing a tank top with a deep neckline! And it was paired with a really short skirt too! Squall swallowed nervously and avoided looking right at her. Rikku managed to catch her breath as she straightened himself up to greet him.

"I wanted to stop by and say hi to hotdog before I leave for a mission." she said.

"Mission?" dressed like that? Squall thought. But damn, did he miss seeing here, it's been what, a week since they ran into each other at the cafeteria?

"Yeah. I'm posing as a prostitute! What do you think?" she asked. As she stood up straight with her hands on her hips.

If Squall got hit with a berserk spell, he'd surely jump her. It's a good thing he wasn't.

"It's okay." he answered simply.

She smiled widely at him, a little too wide than normal."Great! So where is he?" she asked, as she peaked into his room. Squall fully opened the door as Rikku stepped in. Her eyes were all over the place, taking in the sight. She then turned to him, a smirk then formed on her face.

"Neat freak!" she pointed at him as she started giggling.

He crossed his arms, as if he was annoyed but in actuality he so liked to hear her giggling. "I clean, big deal." He said, as he stepped back inside and closed the door.

Rikku sat on Squall's couch as Hotdog jumped up on her lap. She made herself comfortable in his room. Squall tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible, his male hormones might decide to kick in and he might end up staring too intently at her. He sat on his study table instead, in front of his laptop, his back turned to her. Rikku continued playing with the cat, lying down on his couch, Hotdog purring on top of her.

"Shouldn't you be going? Don't you have a mission? " said Squall, focusing on his computer intently, making it seem as if he was busy.

"I still have like, fifteen minutes before we have to meet up at the main gates." she said. "Oh hey Squall?"

Squall turned to look at her, but slapped himself mentally for doing so. With his study table adjacent to his couch, He had a very nice view of Rikku's legs and he felt his cheeks redden. Quickly he turned around again and started typing, Rikku did not fail to notice this. "What is it?" He muttered, his tone slightly irritated. Rikku sighed.

"How are your injuries?" she asked.

"They're fine." he answered simply.

"How about that deep gash you had?' she inquired, continuously playing with the fluffy cat.

"It's healing." said Squall. Out of all the wounds that he got that day, the one in his abdomen was the worst.

"Good... That's good." she sighed in relief. This sparked something in Squall. Was she actually worried about him? It sure sounded like she's really worried.

"Hey um..." she continued. "I never got to thank you properly. You saved me Squall... If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here right now..." Her voice was faint, clearly embarrassed by the words she just spoke.

"Right back at you..." He replied. Rikku gave him a confounded look, as he continued, "I wouldn't have been able to deal with all those monsters and rebels by myself, and you had my back when i needed it, I should be thanking you instead…" he told her honestly.

"I guess I did save you too… no biggie. I mean you piss me off most of the time with that straight up aloof, emo personality you've got going on but I've seen a side of you that you don't normally show others. You're a good guy Squall, a lot of people here in the Garden depend on you, you deserve to be saved. " she told him. Was she actually praising him? Although, she did insult him a bit, he turned around from his desk to face her.

"What do you mean 'a different side of me'?" he said. Rikku started giggling again, and Squall found himself smiling.

"Well…." She struggled to say, clearly a little embarrassed; but she continued. "Just before we were about to be hit… You held me tight and you even held my hand… and I guess that made me feel safe even if we were on the verge of death…

"I'm human too you know… I think I've told you that a few times." He said.

"Yeah you did, but before that I never really believed you, I still believed in Seifer's 'Squall is an android' theory." She teased him. Squall grabbed the nearest , non harmful object he could find, a piece of crumpled paper, and threw it at Rikku, she got hit on the head and started laughing out loud, sprawled on his couch.

"The android does have feelings! He got mad!" she said in between laughs. Squall got up, stood in front of her and glared.

"Stop laughing!" he demanded. But honestly, her laughter was intoxicating.

Squall sat next to her on the couch, as he waited for her to calm down. Brushing some tears from her eyes, she straightened herself on his couch and turned to him.

"But kidding aside Squall, I'm glad I saved you that one time at the power supply room, If I hadn't, we wouldn't have become friends, and your friends wouldn't be my friends, and I really like spending time with you guys…." She said.

"They like you too, why else would they put up with your craziness?" he said. Rikku smiled at him again and playfully punched his arm.

"You say the nicest things sometimes, Commander." Said Rikku. Talking with her like this, made him realize that the time he spent avoiding her, could've been spent on spending time with her, be it just her teasing the hell out of him like this.

Rikku stood up from his couch, gave Hotdog one last pat. "I should be going, don't want to be late for my prostitute mission!" she cheerily said. She started walking towards the door, Squall followed after her.

"Where's the mission taking place?" he asked, hopefully not somewhere too far.

"Balamb Town. " she said. Before opening the door she turned to him. "See ya when I get back!"

"Yeah… " Be careful, Squall thought.

Rikku was surprised. "What did you say?"

Shit. He actually said the 'be careful' part out loud. "Nothing…" he said but when Rikku didn't buy it, he might as well just say it. "I said be careful…" he said again, this one louder than before.

"Yeah… uhm… Thanks." She grabbed the knob on his door to open it, but stopped midway and turned to face him again. "Squall you know there's something else I wanted to tell you…" she said, her voice faint but just audible.

She looked serious all of a sudden, and was even blushing a bit. "What is it?" He managed to say.

"You remember that bright light that covered us both, just before we were hit… I think that was me…"

A bit disappointed at her words, he asked her. "Was it magic or something?"

"I don't really know.. But that time I kept on thinking that we were going to die, I mean death is natural and all, specially for us SeeDs but… the thought of you dying… it's just… painful." She told him, looking at the floor instead of him.

Squall's not the romantic type and all, but did she just actually admit her feelings to him?

"Why is it painful?" was the only thing he could think of saying.

"I… err… I don't know it's just… when I think of not seeing you again, its… you know…"

The blushing, the incoherent sentences, the no eye contact thing , she really was confessing to him. Dumbfounded, he just stood there, mouth slightly open. Rikku then pulled herself together, smiled back at him again.

"Well, see yah!" She said, turning to open the door. But Squall reached out and slammed the door shut. Rikku turned back to face him "Squall, wha-

He didn't really think this through, his mind went blank, and his stupid, stupid male hormones he struggled so hard to control decided to kick in at that exact moment, and the last thing he remembered was the feel of her lips in his.. so soft and warm… shortly followed by a very painful slap across his face, and his door slamming shut.

* * *

It was a very uneventful Saturday for one Squall Leonhart, most guys his age would be out and about, partying the night away and trying to hook up with girls. But here he was, a book in one hand, a soda can on the other. Ever since that 'incident' with Rikku, he never got to see her, again. It was her turn to avoid him. He doesn't blame her though. What girl in their right mind wouldn't get mad at what he did. He got her signals all wrong, he actually thought she liked him back, but that was probably just Rikku, being Rikku. He knew about her kindness and friendliness to everyone around her, that was just her nature, and he had been stupid to think that her actions that day actually meant something. Sighing, he threw the book he was reading across the room, hitting a lamp that almost broke, had Seifer not caught it on time. Surprised, he sat up on his bed. Not far from Seifer was Irvine, and behind him Zell who strode into his room.

"Bored much, Squall?" Irvine asked.

"Why wouldn't he be bored, he's reading a book for crying out loud." Said Seifer as he picked up Squall's book and tossed it back to him.

"Yo Squall!" Zell greeted.

"What are you guys doing here? And how the hell did you get in?" he asked. They made themselves comfortable in his room, Irvine sat on the couch, Zell sitting on Squall's bed across him, and Seifer taking up the seat on his study table.

Seifer held out a card key from his pocket. "Nicked it from that stalker girl of yours while she was serving detention." Said Seifer.

"How the hell did she manage to make a copy of my key?" said Squall.

"I tried asking her that too, but she wouldn't say. Stalkers have their ways I guess…" said Seifer.

Squall made a mental note to himself to change the lock on his room. "So why are you guys here, in my room, uninvited?" he said.

"Chill Squall, we just wanted to ask you out." Said Irvine.

"Out?"

"Yeah, It's Saturday and Sefy, Quisty and Shizuka all went out on a girl's night so I figured, we should go out too!" said Irvine.

"I don't really feel like it…" said Squall. He didn't want to leave the comfort of his room, not when there was a chance of seeing Rikku.

"C'mon man, there's this new Bar that opened in town, let's try it out! I heard they have really good beer." Said Zell.

"It's all the rage in Balamb, we have to check it out!" said Irvine

"…and when was the last time you actually went out drinking with us, huh?" said Seifer. If Squall had to answer, he wouldn't be able to. It had been quite a while since he had gone drinking with his friends.

"If it's a new club, then the place will probably be packed." Said Squall, that should get them to leave him alone, they knew he hated crowds.

"I don't think so, It's an exclusive club, like only VIPs can go in…" Irvine started to say. Ah, so that's why they wanted him to come.

"So you want me to get you in? How do you think I can do that?"

Irvine continued. "The owner is Bryan Wallace, son of Senator Bruce Wallace of Esthar, who is, as we all know…"

"A suck-up to my Father. Alright fine, I'm going." Said Squall, standing up and walking towards his closet, where he pulled out a black, biker jacket.

"Sweet! I knew you wouldn't let us down Squall." Said Irvine as the cowboy and Zell eagerly dragged him out of his room, Seifer following behind them.

When they got to the place, the line was long, long enough to not being able to see where it ends.

"Squall, tell the Bouncer who you are, or maybe try looking for Bryan himself or…" while Zell was coming up with ways of how to get inside, not far from the entrance, where they currently stood, Squall saw a familiar figure not far from where he was. She noticed him too and smiled as she and her friends made their way to them.

"Well well, If it isn't Squall Loire himself." Said the woman. She had long brownish red hair, had a fair complexion, brown eyes, and was rather tall. She was beautiful, and looked every bit a model.

"Amber, good to see you." Said Squall as he took her hand and shook it.

"Good to see you too Squall. You've heard about my brother's club?" she said. Irvine and Zell were ogling this friend of Squall's, while Seifer looked on, indifferent.

"Right, your brother Bryan. How is he?" he asked. During the course of his almost 2 years stay in Esthar, as the president's son, he had to learn to socialize, especially with the high society. Amber was one of the few socialites he met that wasn't such a suck-up.

"You can ask him yourself. Let's go in." she said as she walked up to the bouncer and talked to him, afterwards he guided Squall and his friends inside the bar. The bar called 'Puzzles' was no puzzle at all. It looked just like any other bar, but this one was slightly better than the ones he'd been to, no fights were breaking out, or couples making out heavily on the dance floor, it was his kind of bar, the kind were you can just drink the night away in peace.

After making pleasantries with the club owner Bryan, they were lead to a table of their own, Amber excusing herself as she joined her friends.

"Nice table, just a few walks away from the dance floor, and just near the drinks. Neat." Said Zell as he grabbed the drink menu.

"Yeah, nice… Speaking of nice…" Seifer started to say, and at this Irvine smirked. "That Amber was quite 'nice' huh?"

"A friend huh? Now that's rare…"

"I always see her at parties in Esthar , and she's friends with Elle so I see her a lot when I'm there." He said, as he struggled with himself whether to just get a beer or order that Strawberry Daiquiri he saw a random woman drinking earlier. It looked good.

"So… you think she's hot?" asked Seifer.

"Sure…" he answered, another drink had caught his attention, a strawberry margarita.

"Dude! She's totally in to you, and if you already know each other, why don't you just ask her out?" said Zell. Irvine flicked him on the forehead. "Irvine! The hell was that for!" said Zell.

"Zellie boy, didn't we talk about this? When it comes to this kind of stuff, with Squall, we have to take it slow!" said Seifer.

The guys have egged him for months to start dating again, but to their dismay, he never did quite got back into dating. He was horrible at it.

A waitress came to their table and took their orders, Seifer ordered 4 bottles of beer, while Zell ordered a plate of wings and fries, and Squall ordered a bottle of Vodka for all of them.

"Err Squall? A whole bottle of vodka?"

"We can finish it…"

"Yeah but… remember the last time we had vodka?" said Irvine. And remember it he did. It was a couple of months after Squall recovered from his 'rebellious days' as his father called it. The guys had asked him out for drinks, just like today. They were all pushing him to hook up with a girl. But he couldn't actually do it, while he was sober, so Seifer suggested he drink something harder than beer, he got his first taste of vodka, liked it a little too much, and the rest was history. When he woke up the next day, he was in a hotel room, naked with an unknown girl and with a huge hangover. No memory of the night before. He swore from then on never to drink vodka again.

"It'll be fine, I won't drink too much." He said as he took his first shot of the stuff. The others started drinking too.

They went off topic for awhile, discussing SeeD stuff and laughing at other stuff while they downed a couple of shots. Squall, although he won't admit it, did miss hanging out with the guys.

A group of girls, Amber's friends, then settled themselves to a table next to them. The girls stared at them, clearly flirting.

"C'mon Squall, why don't you try dating again? You might actually like it this time. Hasn't it been ages since you've been with a girl?" said Zell

"What's it to you if I start dating again, Zell?"

"Well… I'd be happy for you. Among the group, you're the only one who's still single… Well Rikku too I guess." He said. And for the first time since they came to this bar, he thought of her again, and remembered what he had done. He wanted to smash his head on a wall for doing something so stupid. Their friendship could be ruined.

"You only want a new couple to go on double dates with Zelll…" said Irvine. "Me and Selphie aren't good enough for you and Shizuka?"

At this, they all started laughing. Amber then walked towards their table.

"You guys having fun?" she asked.

"Yup. Great place." Said Seifer.

"Thanks, you should drop by again, I've already put your names on the permanent VIP list."

"Wow, thanks!" said Zell.

"Sure, a friend of Squall's is a friend of mine." Said Amber as she winked at Squall and walked away towards their table.

"Squall! She winked at you! She's totally into you! Go for it, man!" said Zell, sounding very excited.

"Yeah and if you're worried about how to approach her, just walk up to her and stand there looking all serious, your good looks will do the rest, she'd probably do the moves for you too…" said Seifer, teasing him.

"I don't think so, she's great and all… But we've already tried and… it didn't quite work out…" he said, downing another glass.

"Tried…? You mean you've..? With her?" said Irvine. Squall nodded.

"Nothing really happened, it was just one date."

"So why didn't you pursue it?" asked Zell, Squall shook his head.

"Didn't really feel anything." He told them.

"You didn't feel anything, for her? I mean, If I didn't have Quistis, I'd probably banging that chick right about now…" said Seifer, Irvine and Zell nodding in agreement.

Sure, Amber's beautiful and all that, but there wasn't anything there that he would have pursued.

"Have a go, by all means…" Squall told them.

"You know we can't, we have girlfriends." Said Zell, as he stuffed his mouth with fries.

"Then leave it be, let's just drink okay?" said Squall as he downed two more shots.

"But Squall you know… We just want you to be happy, man, like we are with our girls. It's been years since… you know? Said Zell. Zell was only being a good friend, that much he knew, but sometimes he'd wish they'd just let it go. If only he could tell them that he was already over 'her'.

"I appreciate it Zell, but… actually I… uhh… there's this girl…" Squall started muttering, and he didn't know if it was the alcohol talking but…. Wait it probably was the alcohol.

"There's a girl?!" Zell exclaimed, spraying bits of fries on Seifer's face.

"Damnit Zell, say it don't spray it! We're all just equally surprised here!" said Seifer.

Irvine grinned. "So tell us about this girl Squall?" he said. As if he didn't already know who the girl was.

"She's… No never mind…"

"Aw c'mon, we're buddies, you can tell us anything!" Zell urged.

"I sort of, forced myself on her and she got… pissed" he admitted to his friends. Zell choked on his food once again. Seifer dodging this time around.

"Forced? Like…?" Irvine began to say but he quickly shook his head.

"No! Of course not, I just tried to kiss her." Said Squall. He continued. "Well I did kiss her but… She slapped me." And when he said it, he actually felt his right cheek hurting a bit.

"Slapped you?! Man, this girl's got guts! Slapping THE Squall Leonheart!" Zell exclaimed.

"Then what happened?" Irvine pressed.

"She walked out, and I haven't talked to her since… Look, Let's not talk about it anymore." Said Squall. The more they talked about it, the more it made him feel stupid.

"Yeah but this is rare dude! You talking about stuff like this with us? Who knows when we'll get you this drunk again, huh?"

"I'm not drunk.." he replied. He wasn't drunk… Or at least he didn't want to be.

"So this 'girl'… must be someone special right? For her to catch the eye of the commander himself. What's she like?" Seifer asked, he was grinning now, Irvine didn't fail to notice this. He must've caught on.

"Special? More like weird…" In a lot of ways, Squall thought. "She doesn't act like a normal girl should."

"So she's boyish?" said Zell. Squall nodded.

"and childish… and doesn't care much about rules, she talks like a guy, eats like a guy, and she's…" Squall continued muttering random traits of Rikku's. Man, if he didn't think he was drunk earlier, he did now.

"Wait, so let me get this straight, She's all that, but you still dig her?" Seifer asked. At this, he nodded.

"I guess… "

"Wait! Who is it anyway? Is it someone we know?"

"I'd rather not say. " said Squall.

"Aww come on, man! Don't leave me hanging!" Zell pleaded. But Squall wouldn't budge.

"Squall, what are you gonna do now?" Irvine asked.

"It sucks that she slapped me, it hurt too but, I can't just stop what I feel about her." Squall told them. Irvine smiled. Seifer did too.

"You finally got over puberty Squall." Seifer teased. Zell and Irvine laughed. Seifer then raised his shot glass. "To Squall! Who, at 19 years of age, finally got over the pubescent stage of going all emo because he got dumped!"said Seifer, Zell and Irvine laughed harder, Squall couldn't help but follow after them too as they clinked their shot glasses and drank the rest of the bottle. Squall needed this, and was really glad he had friends like them. It would come with a price though, since he's pretty sure he'd wake up tomorrow with a massive headache.

On the way back from their guys' night out, Seifer drove the car (Squall's Garden issued one, since he was so against the idea of having the guys ride his super expensive sports car) all they way back to the Garden. Irvine took to the front seat, while Zell and Squall sat at the back, the latter passed out, sleeping.

"Hey..." said Zell. Irvine looked back at him as Seifer looked at him through the rearview mirror. "This girl Squall likes… who do you think it is?" Zell asked them.

Irvine and Seifer exchanged looks and laughed. "Aww come on guys! Who do you think it is?"

"Figure it out yourself, Zell." Said Seifer. They got to the Garden's parking lot and Seifer parked on Squall's usual spot. "Carry him." Seifer told Zell. Like a kid, Zell stuck his tongue out at Seifer but got out of the car anyway and helped Squall get to his feet. As Zell helped Squall, Seifer came up behind Irvine, and muttered, soft enough that Zell and Squall wouldn't be able to hear.

"Just to be sure… It's Rikku isn't it?"

"Finally! Someone else who knows!" Irvine rejoiced.

* * *

a/n: See! Told you I'd be back! Might be able to update more often, I'm even planning on quitting my job just to focus on this story! (i'm still 50:50 on that, fingers crossed!) Reviews? No? Okay! :p


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